The Lost Boys
by Wednesday's Eleanor
Summary: Your entire life can change in a blink of the eye. You can either roll with it or struggle against the tide. For Mattie Emerson, the choices she makes will forever alter her relationship with the people she cares the most about. Sisterfic.
1. Prologue

_**Author's Note: So this story idea certainly isn't original, but hopefully the story is an enjoyable read nonetheless. Obviously, I do not own** **the Lost Boys.** **Thank you for reading!**_

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 _As Mattie peeled out of Santa Carla, the bloody mess of a man in the backseat, she tried not to think about the family that she was leaving behind. Despite all the obvious wrongness, there was a part of her who wished the plan had worked. But it hadn't. And she was still a vampire so her life would have to take a new direction. She pushed her foot further onto the pedal and flew past the 'Welcome to Santa Carla' billboard._

 _And to think, it had only been three months ago that she had first arrived in Santa Carla..._

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 ** _Reviews and constructive criticism welcome._ **


	2. Chapter 1

Mattie Emerson had never considered herself a beach person and, as her eyes scanned the beach that was currently running alongside the road, she realized that she was probably never going to be a beach person. It looked uncomfortably hot and she could easily imagine all that gritty sand getting into places gritty sand should never be. She shuddered at the thought and turned her face away from the water.

"You're awfully quiet back there, sweetie." Her mother commented, her eyes darting briefly to the rearview mirror. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." Mattie replied, forcing her lips into a smile.

This move was hard enough on her mother without her bitching about how much she hated the beach and missed Phoenix. Mattie glanced at her twin who was also taking in the beach scene, though clearly with more interest. The two didn't look as much alike as they used to; that was mostly because Mattie had decided to start straightening her hair and had dyed it a reddish brown. She had wanted to go blonde, but the look of horror on her mother's face had convinced her to hold off until she was at least out of the house. The reddish brown was a compromise. Nanook barked - in Mattie's ear - at another dog in a passing car. Mattie glared at the husky before turning the glare on her younger brother.

"Blondie, your dog has no manners."

Sam turned around in his seat just long enough to share his eye roll with his sister. "That's because he's a dog. And don't call me Blondie."

"Hey, it's not my fault you take after mom." She teased.

"Hey!" Lucy and Sam exclaimed at the same time.

Michael and Mattie shared a grin.

"We're getting close..." Lucy commented several minutes later, bouncing a little in her seat.

"What's that smell?" Sam asked, wrinkling his nose.

Lucy took a deep breath and a grin spread over her face. "Ocean air!"

Sam was not impressed. "Smells like something died." He grumbled.

Michael and Mattie were inclined to agree and their faces gave them away even if they didn't voice their thoughts.

"Guys," Lucy sighed, "I know it hasn't been easy...the divorce and now the move...but I think you're really going to like living in Santa Carla." The Emerson siblings shared a skeptical look. Lucy sighed again. "How 'bout some music?"

She reached forward and twisted the dial. Country music started to blare and the teenagers grimaced.

"Keep going."

The next station was easy listening and even worse. Lucy twisted the dial again; her face lit up as she recognized the song 'Groovin'. Mattie groaned; Michael and Sam shared a look.

"Keep going!" They all laughed.

The next station was finally something bearable and Lucy sat back in her seat as they passed the 'Welcome to Santa Carla' billboard. Mattie and Michael both turned in time to see what was written on the back of the billboard: the murder capital of the world. They shared an 'oh great' look.

"Oh shoot." Lucy muttered.

"What is it, mom? Finally realized that we shouldn't have left Phoenix?" Sam asked hopefully. Mattie smacked him upside the head. "Hey! Watch the hair!"

"Matilda, don't hit your brother." At the full use of her name, Mattie glowered and Sam snickered. "And no, Sam, I didn't change my mind. The gas tank is almost empty." Lucy flicked on the turn signal to turn abruptly into a fast approaching gas station; she cut off several drivers who all honked in protest. She waved. "Sorry, sorry."

"Hey mom," Mattie began.

"Yeah?"

"Mind if I drive the rest of the way?"

Michael and Sam chuckled as Lucy rolled her eyes, but didn't respond.

The gas stop allowed all four Emerson's to stretch their legs. Michael also took the opportunity to pull his bike down from the trailer; Mattie watched him do so jealously. She didn't begrudge her brother his bike, but she wanted one too. Her father had promised to get her one, but he apparently no longer thought promises to his children mattered. Michael caught her look and sent her an apologetic smile.

"You can ride with me if you want." He offered.

Mattie shook her head and forced a smile onto her face. "Nah, I'm good."

Michael didn't look like he believed her, but he was relieved that she had said no so he didn't press his offer.

"You can drive the rest of the way to grandpa's." Lucy said. A genuine smile spread over Mattie's face which is exactly what Lucy had hoped for. "Here, finish filling her up." Mattie gladly took over the pumping off the gas while Lucy dug through her purse. "Here, Sam," She pulled out some cash and the youngest Emerson jogged over to grab it. "Tell them to get something to eat." She motioned towards a couple of young runaways who were digging through the trash.

"I thought we were poor." Mattie asked as she shielded her eyes from the sun.

Lucy sent her a look. "We're not _that_ poor."

"Can we go to the Boardwalk?" Sam asked, his eyes scanning the nearby attraction with interest, but Lucy shook her head.

"Maybe later. Grandpa's expecting us."

Sam grumbled a complaint under his breath, but otherwise didn't argue. The gas came to a stop and Mattie removed the pump from the gas tank and replaced the gas cap.

"Keys?" She asked, holding out her hand expectantly and waving her fingers.

Lucy laughed and tossed her the keys. Mattie caught them easily and waved to Mike who was climbing onto his bike.

"I'll follow you." Mike said as he revved the engine.

"Okay. Sam! Get Nanook in the car!"

As the car pulled around the bend in the road and their new house came into view, Mattie's first impression came out as a groan. For all intents and purposes, it was basically a large log cabin. There was certainly no comparison between this raggedy ranch house and their former suburban home in Phoenix. Mattie chewed at her bottom lip in apprehension as her anxiety levels rose. Realizing that she was being overly negative, Mattie forced herself to change her pattern of thought. With this new forced positivity, Mattie took in the wooden house again. With this second glance, she had to admit that the ranch house had character.

"I can't picture you living here, mom." Sam remarked.

"It's changed a bit." Lucy admitted.

Mattie pulled the car to a stop and killed the engine. Behind them, Mike did the same for his bike. All the Emerson's left their vehicles slowly. They could make out the form of their grandpa lying on the porch.

"He looks dead." Michael commented as they approached the porch.

"He's just a deep sleeper." Lucy replied.

"And he sleeps on the porch like a dead person often?" Mattie asked, her concern growing.

"He's not breathing, mom." Michael pointed out.

Frowning in concern, Lucy bent down to feel her father's head. "Dad?"

"If he's dead, can we move back to Phoenix?" Sam asked hopefully.

Mattie raised her hand to smack her brother upside the head, but grandpa's eyes suddenly opened.

He grinned. "Playin' dead and from what I hear, doin' a damn good job of it too."

"Oh dad!" Lucy laughed as they hugged.

Mattie shook her head and headed into the house. The inside of the house was as weird as the outside; it looked like a hunting lodge. Mattie grimaced at the animal heads.

"This is kind of a cool place." Michael commented as he and Sam walked by her, carrying their most precious possessions. The compliment sounded forced to Mattie's ears.

"Yeah, for the _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_." Sam muttered.

"Will you give mom a break?" Mattie snapped. Sam flicked her off. Mattie rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're so cool."

They walked a little bit further into the house, their eyes trying to take in everything at once.

"What's wrong with this picture?" Sam asked, his voice raised in panic. "Have you seen a TV? I haven't seen a TV! There's no TV! You know what means? No MTV."

"Sammie, we're flat broke." Michael reminded him.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Even poor people have TVs."

Mattie left her brothers to argue and headed upstairs to find a room. It ended up being a no brainer; she took the room that was connected to a bathroom. She figured her mom would take the other room that the bathroom was connected to and she was fine with that. Let the boys fight over the other bathroom. At least this way there'd be no bitching from Michael and Sam about all her girly stuff taking over the bathroom.

"Oh good," Lucy said as she entered the other room with a box, "I was hoping we'd be bathmates." Mattie gave her mom a smile. "Where are Sam and Michael?"

"Downstairs. Sam is complaining about there not being a TV." Lucy looked guilty and Mattie grimaced, immediately feeling bad about mentioning the TV complaint. "We don't need a TV."

"As soon as I can afford one, I'll buy one." Lucy promised, though it seemed like she was talking more to the idea of Sam than Mattie who was standing in front of her.

"I'm gonna go grab some boxes." Mattie announced before jogging out of the room. She passed grandpa, who was carrying a box, on the way down the stairs. "Hey, grandpa."

He shook his head as though in disbelief. "Matilda."

"I prefer Mattie and what? Is there something on my face?"

"You look more like your grandmother every day."

Mattie blinked in surprise. "I do?" Grandpa nodded. "Mom's never told me that."

"Your mother didn't know your grandma when she was young and there aren't many pictures." Grandpa narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to have to tell your brothers to keep an eye on you when you go to the Boardwalk."

Mattie laughed. "I can take care of creeps by myself."

"This isn't Phoenix. There are more than just your average creeps here in Santa Clara. Yup, I'll definitely have to warn your brothers."

He started up the stairs again and Mattie took the opportunity to run away.

"Okay, so grandpa and mom are being weird." She announced when she came across Michael and Sam at the car.

"What else is new?" Her brothers asked in sync.

Mattie had to admit they had a point.

"Anyway, just a heads up, grandpa's gonna tell you to keep an eye out for me when we go to the Boardwalk."

"Why?" Michael asked.

"Because we moved to the murder capital of the world Mike," Mattie replied sarcastically, "that's why."

After a dinner of delivery pizza, the Emerson's dispersed to set up their new living quarters. The first thing Mattie did was locate her record player and the few records she owned. Once Sid Vicious was screaming _My Way_ , Mattie turned to the other boxes. She didn't have much: her record collection (which consisted of the Sex Pistols, Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Runaways, and other similar artists), a handful of posters of the same bands, and an old teddy bear (whose name was – and always had been – Webster although none of the Emerson's could remember why) that was ratty but still held a lot of sentimental value for the teenage Mattie. Mattie's wardrobe pretty much consisted of jeans and random band t-shirts, some of which she had cut up to make them more feminine. She owned one dress which had never been worn. It was supposed to be her prom dress, but once she learned of her parent's divorce, Mattie had decided to boycott the prom as a protest; the act had disappointed her mother and the price of the now unworn dress had angered her father. Mattie found herself grateful for her lack of possessions because setting up her new room was quick and easy.

"I don't get how you can listen to that crap."

Mattie yelped in surprise at the sudden appearance of her younger brother at her side as she stood precariously on the bed trying to pin up a Joan Jett poster.

"Jesus Christ Sam, you nearly gave me a friggin' heart attack."

Sam rolled his eyes. "I knocked on your door like twelve times, but I guess you couldn't hear me over the sound of that screeching."

"It's not screeching," Mattie growled, "It's music."

"It's crap."

Done with the poster, Mattie jumped down from her bed and put her hands on her hips. "What do you want?"

"Mom wants to know if you want to go to the Boardwalk with us."

"Hell yes! When are we leaving?"

"Now." Sam replied.

"Now?!" Sam nodded. "Ugh, okay. I'll be right down."

Mattie shooed Sam from the room before slamming the door shut and rushing to her closet. She shimmied out of her jeans and pulled on a lighter pair that had several rips. For a top, she went with her latest Ramones t-shirt with her leather jacket (a 16th birthday present from Michael who solidified himself as the best brother ever with the present) over it. She slipped into her black ankle boots before jumping over the bed to twist of the record player before rushing into the bathroom to apply some mascara and a bit of dark pink lipstick.

"Mattie!" Sam shouted from the bottom of the stairs. "Let's go!"

"I'm coming!" She snapped back loudly.

Having finished her make-up, Mattie ran a hand through her hair and left both the bathroom and her bedroom. Her mother, Sam, and Michael were all waiting impatiently by the door. Lucy cast a disapproving glare upon her daughter's choice of clothes.

"Really, Mattie?"

"What?" Mattie asked, glancing down at her clothes.

Lucy shook her head. "Never mind. Let's just go."

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 _ **Reviews and constructive criticism welcome! Thanks for reading!**_


	3. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews and follows/favorites.**_

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"Stay close to your brothers, okay?" Lucy warned her only daughter as all three teenagers waited impatiently just inside the entrance to the boardwalk.

"You people do realize that guys get raped and killed too, right?" Mattie asked with a frown.

"There's safety in numbers." Lucy countered, trying to sooth her daughter's ruffled feathers.

"Fine."

"We'll meet up here in a couple hours, okay?" Lucy sighed in exasperation; the group of three was already halfway down the boardwalk.

"Alright, I'll meet up with you guys in an hour or so." Mattie said as soon as they were a good distance away from their mother. Michael nodded, but Sam looked petrified at the idea.

"Okay. Be careful though." Michael warned.

Mattie rolled her eyes. "Nah, I think I'll go find myself a serial killer and ask him to ravish me." She joked.

Sam's already horrified eyes grew even larger. "That isn't funny Mattie!"

"You want to come with me?" Mattie asked her younger brother.

Sam made a disgusted face. "And earn a reputation as a little kid who tags along with his sister?! No, thank you."

Mattie giggled and reached out to ruffle his hair. Sam dodged her hand and raised his own hands to make sure that his hair hadn't been messed up.

"Then shut up."

"Whatever. Have fun."

Sam, who still looked less than enthusiastic about leaving his sister alone, nonetheless followed his older brother towards the concert on the beach. Mattie headed straight to the t-shirt kiosk that they had passed moments earlier.

"Which one do you want, sweetheart?"

Mattie grimaced at the nickname, but brushed it off.

"The hot pink Sex Pistols one." She replied, pointing to the shirt in question.

The guy got the shirt down, but didn't hand it to her; instead, he held out his hand.

"Fifteen bucks." He wriggled his fingers expectantly. Mattie pulled the twenty-dollar bill from her pocket and slapped it into his hand. He tossed her the shirt which Mattie tied into her belt loop so that it wouldn't go anywhere. Now it was Mattie's turn to hold out her hand expectantly and wriggle her fingers. "What?"

"You owe me five bucks in change."

Mattie narrowed her eyes. "Tax." The guy grinned.

"Give me my five bucks."

"Or else what?" The guy sneered.

"Or else…." Mattie scrambled to think of a threat that would work. She saw a couple blonde guys sitting across the way; they looked threatening enough. She pointed to the taller of the two. "You see that guy?" The vendor – visibly paler – nodded. "That's my boyfriend and if you don't give me my change, I'll go get him." Mattie turned back around to face the vendor, crossing her arms. She also affected a mocking face of innocence. "Want me to go get him?"

The vendor's face paled even further as an arm snaked around Mattie's waist and the tall blonde to whom she had pointed nuzzled her neck before placing a kiss on her ear and turning to look at the vendor.

"Is this guy giving you a hard time, babe?" He asked.

"He's trying to scam me out of my money." Mattie replied, having no choice but to go along with the masquerade she had started. To anyone paying attention, Mattie was clearly agitated by the blonde man's arm around her, but the vendor was too terrified to notice.

"Here!" The vendor squeaked, shoving the entire $20 back into Mattie's hand. "The shirt's on me! Sorry for the confusion. Have a nice night!"

The vendor than slammed the gate down on his shop and flicked off the lights before disappearing. His reaction only increased Mattie's agitation. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that the vendor was terrified of the blonde guy for a reason and it was a reason that Mattie was likely to find out for herself if she stayed with him much longer. Her mock-boyfriend began to lead her away from the t-shirt stand, his blonde friend following on their heels.

"Um, thanks for helping me, but I should really be going."

She attempted to get out from his grasp, but the man wouldn't let her go.

"Relax, sweetheart." He cooed.

Mattie continued to struggle, but his grip only tightened. Desperate to be released, Mattie did what she had always done when Michael refused to let her out of a headlock when they were kids: she pinched the guy's side as hard as she could. The guy yelped and released her, rubbing at his side. His friend broke into hysterics. Now free, Mattie nonetheless did not run away; instead, she ran a hand through her hair and began to scold him.

"You should have just let me go!"

"You should have just trusted me!" The guy countered, still rubbing at his side.

"I don't even _know_ you!"

"I'm your _boyfriend_ , remember?" He snapped mockingly.

Mattie blushed. "I panicked!" She explained. "Then I saw you. I didn't think you'd be able to hear me, let alone that you'd come over."

The two glared at each other for a minute until the shorter guy laughed, "Will you two just rip each other's clothes off and be done with it already?"

Mattie blushed again as the tall blonde gave his friend a shove.

"Shut up, Marko."

The shorter one – Marko – rolled his eyes and made his way over to Mattie.

"I'm Marko." He introduced himself. Mattie gingerly shook his hand, worried that he might try to grab her. "I wouldn't lay a hand on Paul's girl." Marko said as if sensing her thoughts.

Both Mattie and Paul rolled their eyes.

"I'm Mattie." She offered after a moment.

"Mattie?" Marko repeated. "What's that short for?"

"Matilda." Paul and Mattie replied in sync.

Marko laughed. "Oh, you two are hilarious!"

"Marko, go annoy Dwayne." Paul ordered.

"What? And miss all the fun?"

"Go away, Marko." Paul insisted.

Marko held up his hands, laughing. "Alright, alright. I can tell when I'm not wanted." Marko picked up Mattie's hand and pressed a kiss to the back. "I'm sure I'll see you around, Mattie." He winked at her before walking away. Paul and Mattie stood in silence for a moment.

"How's your side?" Mattie asked softly, breaking the silence.

"It stings a little." Paul replied. "You have an abnormally strong pinch."

Mattie laughed. "I developed it when my brother refused to let me out of headlocks."

"Older or younger?"

"Younger by about six and a half minutes; we're twins."

Paul raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Never met a twin before."

"Well now you can die happy."

Paul laughed unusually loud at that. "Guess I can." He held out his hand. "Want to grab some ice cream? I know this great place."

Mattie nodded with a smile. "Sure."

She slowly lowered her hand into his, fully expecting Paul to pull her into his embrace again. Which he did, but it was a much gentler grip and Mattie knew that if she wanted out, he'd let her. They strolled back down the Boardwalk, looking every inch like boyfriend and girlfriend and not just new acquaintances. Mattie knew that she shouldn't let him be so forward, but it had been awhile since she had dated and he _was_ ridiculously cute.

"When'd you get into Santa Carla?"

"That obvious that I'm new?"

Paul laughed. "Yeah."

"This morning."

He whistled. "Wow. You _are_ fresh meat." She elbowed him playfully in the same side. "Ouch! You know, I'm still sore from your early abuse."

"Nice try. That's on your other side." Paul grinned. "How long have you lived in Santa Carla?"

"I don't know." Paul shrugged. "Years, I guess. Time flies when you're having fun." He laughed again. "You don't look like a girl who has enough fun in her life."

"I don't." Mattie admitted. "Not recently anyway. My parents just got divorced and apparently that meant that my dad divorced me too. He's such an ass."

Paul pulled her a little bit closer. Mattie blushed.

"Well, stick with me. I know everything there is to know about Santa Carla and ain't no one gonna bother you."

"Yeah, that reminds me. That t-shirt vendor seemed absolutely petrified of you. Why is that?"

"Me and my brothers run this Boardwalk." Paul replied simply. "Locals know better than to mess with us; newcomers learn quickly." Mattie frowned and Paul caught it. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." He tucked some hair behind her ear and bent down to whisper, "I like you."

Mattie swallowed as a rush of heat went through her body. Paul laughed again.

"You laugh a lot."

"What can I say? I'm a happy guy. Here's the place."

There was a line, but the minute the patrons noticed who was approaching, they parted like Moses with the Red Sea. Several of them – locals, Mattie figured – looked at her with incredulity and one even mouthed the word 'run'. Mattie focused her attention on the ice cream stand. Paul either didn't notice their reaction or didn't care. Mattie guessed it was the latter.

"What do you want, babe?"

"Um, Strawberry Shortcake."

Paul grinned. "A woman after my own heart. One or two scoops?"

Mattie thought for a moment. "Two."

Paul's grin widened. "Sugar or waffle cone?"

Mattie sent him a look. "Sugar of course."

Paul rewarded her – and there was no mistaking that that was his intent – with a quick kiss to her neck.

"We'll take two Strawberry Shortcakes, double-scoop, in sugar cones."

"Coming right up."

The two workers rushed to complete the order; no one made any mention of payment. With shaky hands, the workers held out the cones. Mattie took hers with a smile and a polite 'thank you' while Paul just began to lead her away.

"Do you pay for anything around here?"

"Sometimes, when the mood strikes."

Mattie frowned. "That doesn't seem right or particularly legal."

"We keep the Boardwalk safe."

"From what?"

"From us." Paul grinned.

Mattie rolled her eyes. "That's circular reasoning, not to mention strong-arming."

Paul shrugged. They stopped walking and leaned against the rail, looking out over the ocean. There were several bonfires spotting the beach, but there was a particularly large one in the middle; the people surrounding it were easily the loudest on the beach as well.

"They're Surf Nazis." Paul explained, seeing her gaze. "They're obnoxious and constantly causing us problems. Not to mention, they dress like shit."

Mattie had to nod in agreement with the latter statement. Silence reigned for a few minutes as they ate their ice cream.

"I don't like being in the ocean." Mattie commented lightly. "I mean, I like _looking_ at the ocean – especially at night – but I just feel uneasy in it. Like, completely out of control of my body."

"I'm not big on the ocean either." Paul agreed. Mattie sent him a smile before biting into her cone. Paul laughed. "You must really like ice cream 'cause you finished those double-scoops in no time."

Mattie giggled. "I do really love ice cream. It would be awesome to just eat junk food all the time without having to worry about getting fat."

"What about partying all the time and never getting old?" Paul asked.

"Oh my God!" Mattie exclaimed. "That would be amazing! No responsibilities?"

"Of course not." Paul confirmed.

Mattie nodded as she leaned forward against the rail. "If only. I'd love to be eighteen forever."

The playful mood was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Marko and two other guys.

"Marko said you found a new friend, Paul."

The hair on the back of Mattie's neck stood straight up as the icy voice sent chills down her spine. True to his nature, Paul just continued to grin as he turned Mattie to face the newcomers more fully.

"I did." He confirmed. "This is Mattie. Mattie, these are the boys."

"Hello Mattie." The leader – for the man with the icy voice could be nothing else – greeted slowly, his eyes focused intensely on her. Mattie wanted to hide behind Paul, but she forced herself to hold her ground instead. "I'm David. That's Dwayne –" He nodded towards the only brunette in the group. "And you already know Marko."

"Sup Mattie?" Marko laughed, tugging at his lower lip with his thumb.

"Hello." Mattie's voice came out surprisingly normal even though David made her beyond nervous.

As if sensing her discomfort at his presence, David smirked. "We were just going to check out the video store." He informed her. "Want to tag along?"

Mattie glanced up at Paul who nodded.

"You should come." He agreed.

Mattie turned back to David. "Okay, sure."

David's grin widened. "Excellent." Paul slipped his arm back around Mattie's waist as they started walking, David flanked her on the other side. "Where'd you move from, Mattie?"

"Phoenix."

"Santa Carla must seem like a different world."

"It does," Mattie admitted before looking up at Paul with a smile on her face. "But I'm liking it so far."

David chuckled as Paul beamed.

"You just met him; you'll lose interest once you spend more time with him." David joked. Paul sent him a glare. "Hey, just tellin' the girl the truth."

"Maybe I'll grow on her even more."

"Yeah," Marko snickered, "Like a fungus."

Paul reached behind to smack the younger blonde. David shook his head like an indulgent father and focused his attention on Mattie. He spent the rest of the short walk to the video store asking her questions about herself – Marko jumping in occasionally – and telling her about their life on the Boardwalk. But when they reached the video store, Mattie stopped short.

"Shit."

"What's wrong, babe?" Paul asked.

"My mom's in there."

She motioned to the woman talking to a man in the store; all four Lost Boys (as they were apparently called) shared a look over her head.

"What? Ashamed to be seen with me?" Paul asked, feigning injury.

"No, though my mom might have a heart attack. But I'm kinda sorta supposed to be with my brothers. I'll just wait out here."

"Suit yourself." David shrugged before motioning for his boys to follow him.

Mattie hung back, keeping an eye on her mother in case she suddenly decided to exit the shop. Despite her task, Mattie couldn't help but notice that all the boys were doing was circling the inside of the store. They were clearly not at all interested in the movies. The guy who her mother was talking to – who appeared to be the owner – looked less than pleased at their presence; even from a distance, Mattie could see that he was kicking them out of the store. The four boys exited the shop laughing.

"I think Max has a thing for your mom." Marko laughed.

Mattie raised an eyebrow and looked back towards Max who happened to be looking at her over her mother's head. Mattie felt transfixed; like he was reading every thought she had ever had and seeing every action she had ever done. The gaze was broken when Paul scooped her up off her feet and spun her around. Mattie laughed even as she told him to put her down which he did after a couple more spins.

"I should go find my brothers." She said, albeit reluctantly.

Paul pouted. "Oh, come on, babe, stay with us a little while longer."

"I really shouldn't. This was a close enough call." Paul gave her puppy dog eyes and picked up her hand to begin playfully stroking it. "I can't!" Mattie insisted with a laugh.

"Mattie?"

Mattie cringed and slowly turned around. "Hey mom."

Her mother's eyes darted around the group before finally resting on Paul's hand which was still holding Mattie's.

"And who's this?"

"This is Paul." Mattie responded quickly. "And that's David, Marko, and Dwayne."

"We were just about to help Mattie find her brothers." David interjected smoothly. "They got separated in the crowd; Paul's been keeping an eye on Mattie."

Lucy looked to Mattie for confirmation; Mattie nodded.

"It isn't safe for a girl to be on the Boardwalk alone." Paul added.

"No, it isn't." Lucy agreed. "So, thank you for keeping her safe. But I think my daughter and I can find her brothers on our own. Mattie?"

Lucy motioned for Mattie to join her. Mattie reluctantly dropped Paul's hand.

"See you around." She murmured before turning to go.

She was momentarily pulled back as Paul reclaimed her hand and placed a kiss to the back. He winked at her and then laughed at her blush before following after his friends. Mattie walked silently next to her mother, her mind a whirlwind of the night's events. She had no idea what was going on between her and Paul and she had a feeling that everything was moving _way_ too fast, but at the same time, she really liked the attention and she liked the way she felt. His other friends, she had mixed feelings about. Dwayne was clearly not a talker and she had been unable to read his face so Mattie shrugged him off. She liked Marko a lot; he was playful, charming, and friendly. David, however, left her uneasy and somewhat afraid. And though she would never admit it out loud, she was also attracted to him. She decided that she would do her best to ignore him.

"He's cute." Her mother commented lightly. Mattie glanced at her in surprise, thinking momentarily that her mother meant David and not Paul. "Oh, don't look so shocked. Sure, Paul may be a bit more wild than I'm comfortable with, but I know from experience that if I tell you not to do something, you'll do it anyway. Besides, you deserve a bit of romance."

Mattie blushed. "I do like him." She admitted. "I like all of them. Although, David freaks me out a bit and Dwayne doesn't really speak. But Marko is a sweetheart."

Lucy laughed. "They sound like an interesting bunch."

"They are." Mattie agreed just as she spotted her brothers. "There are Michael and Sam."

As the Emerson's met up, the Lost Boys – now complete with Star and Laddie – watched from a distance.

"Looks like our family is about to double." David commented before driving off towards their cave.


	4. Chapter 3

**_Author's Note: Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in this update, but I was working out of town for the past couple of weeks and was just too exhausted to even think about writing. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and/or favorited/followed the story!_**

 *****START OF CHAPTER*****

Mattie's dreams were filled with bloody and blurry images of Paul with David laughing in the background. As a result, she tossed and turned all night and woke up grumpy. After forcing herself from bed, Mattie shuffled downstairs and into the kitchen. Sam was pouring himself a bowl of _Lucky Charms_ and Mattie held out her hand in a demanding gesture.

"Morning sunshine." He teased as he handed her the box. Mattie flicked him off. "Nice."

"Where's mom?" Mattie asked as she prepared her bowl of cereal.

"At work." Sam replied as he opened the door to the sun porch; Nanook ran past him inside.

"Mike?"

"Still sleeping."

Mattie returned the milk to the fridge before joining Sam outside.

"What are you going to do today?" She asked after a few minutes of silent eating. Food in her stomach made her more sociable.

Sam shrugged. "Explore, I guess. You?"

Mattie too shrugged. "Try to find a job, I guess."

"Good luck." Mike muttered as he fell onto the couch next to his sister, a piece of toast in hand. "Word on the street is that the legal job market around here sucks."

Mattie sighed. "Great."

"Yeah, mom lucked out."

"I think it's 'cause Max – the guy who owns the video store – likes her." Mattie commented. Both of her brothers sent her incredulous looks. "What? Mom's not bad looking."

"Mattie," Sam said seriously, "Mom and dad haven't even been divorced a year yet."

"Sammy," Mattie said in an equally serious voice, "So what?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Mike met someone last night too." He announced. "Well sort of. She totally ditched him for a group of bikers." For the second time that morning, Sam was flicked off by an Emerson twin. "You two are great siblings, you know that?"

Mattie ignored her younger sibling and focused instead on her twin. "What's her name?"

"Don't know." Michael answered. "I never got a chance to speak with her."

"She'll probably be at the Boardwalk tonight." Mattie commented hopefully and Michael perked up a bit. "And hopefully so will my guy."

At this, Sam threw up his hands. "Everyone in this house is ruled by their hormones!"

The twins watched as their younger brother stomped from the porch before sharing an eye roll.

"So, what's this guy's name?" Michael asked, trying to sound disinterested when he wanted to know every last detail. Older by minutes or not, Mattie would always need protection in the eyes of her brother.

"Paul."

"Paul." Michael repeated with a snarky tone.

Mattie immediately went on the defensive. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just you never struck me as the kind of girl who'd date a guy named Paul. So, what's Paul look like?"

"Kind of like a hot Dee Snider." Michael furrowed his brow. "No, like a cross between a hot Dee Snider and Ice Man from _Top Gun_. Whatever, the point is he's totally hot." Michael rolled his eyes as he crammed the last bit of toast into his mouth. "Mom thought he was cute."

At that, Michael laughed. "Since when do you care what mom thinks?"

Mattie shrugged. "I don't, just thought I'd mention it." She stood and started to stretch.

"You going to see him again tonight?" Michael continued to feign disinterest.

Mattie side-eyed him. "Probably. Why?"

Michael shrugged. "Maybe I should meet him."

"Yeah, no, not yet." Mattie laugh-snorted. "You don't need to go into protective brother-mode; I'm pretty sure that I'm completely safe from harm when I'm with Paul."

She turned to go into the house and get ready for the day.

"But what's keeping you safe from him?"

 _That_ Mattie didn't have an answer too so she pretended like she hadn't heard him and went inside.

***BREAK***

The Boardwalk was already packed by the time Mattie, Michael, and Sam showed up; all three instantly went in their own direction. Decked out in her new hot pink Sex Pistols shirt, jean skirt, and flip flops, Mattie walked slowly down the wooden boardwalk, letting all the scents and sounds wash over her.

"The shirt looks good on you." Paul whispered in her ear as he arrived out of nowhere. Mattie, holding a hand to her startled heart, used her other hand to smack him on the chest as she cursed him for scaring her. "Awe, I'm sorry babe." He grabbed the hand that she had used to hit him and pulled her into his arms; before she could even react, he was kissing her. It was like a fire had been lit within Mattie as she clung to Paul, demanding more and more affection. The kiss ended when they bumped into the brick wall of the arcade. Paul laughed. Mattie was dazed. She hadn't even realized that they were moving. "Where have you been hiding that?" Paul teased.

Mattie flushed. "I don't know." She muttered. "Sorry."

"Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and ignore that completely unnecessary apology." Paul bent down to kiss her once more, but kept it brief. "Come on."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and started guiding her down the Boardwalk.

"Where are we going?"

"I promised Marko we'd play some games." Mattie laughed at the thought. "What?"

"I just can't picture you or Marko playing Whack-A-Mole."

"Hey, I'll have you know that I am the King of Whack-A-Mole." Paul replied indignantly, puffing out his chest a little.

This only made Mattie laugh even harder.

"She laughing at you, Paulie?" Marko asked teasingly as he slid up next to them.

"Yes, actually." Paul muttered.

Mattie tried to get her giggles under control and sent Paul an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry."

"She doesn't believe that I'm the King of Whack-A-Mole."

"He is actually." Marko confirmed with a serious nod. "Even I have to admit that."

"See?"

Mattie nodded, though she was still trying not to giggle. "Fine."

Paul shook his head. "She still doesn't believe it."

Marko shook his head too. "Unbelievable." Marko spied the Whack-A-Mole game booth. "Well she'll find out soon enough." He grabbed Mattie's hand and tugged her away from Paul. "Come on."

Mattie laughed as Paul followed leisurely, watching the scene with pleasure. _She's going to be a much better fit_ , he mused to himself.

***BREAK***

After proving his unrivaled skill at Whack-A-Mole, Paul allowed Marko to hog Mattie at the Water Gun Game and for exactly two games of Skee Ball before telling his fellow blonde to skedaddle.

"Wanted me to yourself?" Mattie asked teasingly as Paul steered her towards the beach.

"Yup." Paul admitted. Mattie flushed in pleasure which made Paul grin. "You like Marko, huh?"

"I do." She confirmed with a nod. "He's fun. He kind of reminds me of my brother Sam – when Sam can loosen up that is. Lately he's been so obsessed with his stupid hair that he's had zero sense of humor."

"Hey," Paul protested, "Hair's important."

He patted his blonde locks gently and Mattie giggled. "I'm not saying it isn't, but if it keeps you from having fun, well, then, even you have to admit that's sort of ridiculous."

Paul nodded thoughtfully. "I'll agree to that." They found a secluded spot on the beach and Paul did a control drop into a seated position before dragging Mattie in-between his legs and wrapping his arms around her. Mattie settled in comfortably before they sat in silence for a few minutes. "We should go on a real date." Paul announced suddenly.

Mattie glanced up at him. "We had ice cream." She reminded him.

Paul rolled his eyes. "That was not a real date. That was me bribing you with ice cream to keep you in my company long enough to fall head-over-heels in love with me." Mattie giggled. "Did it work?"

"Oh yeah." She replied, only somewhat teasingly. "Totally."

"Good. But seriously, a real date."

The request still struck Mattie as funny, but she could tell that he was serious. Not privy to Paul's thoughts, she couldn't know that Paul wanted to solidify her attachment through normal means before turning her simply because it would make things easier.

"Okay…where?"

"I don't know. Where do you want to go?"

"I've only been in town for a couple days so I have no idea where. You, on the other hand, have apparently lived here for a number of years so you would know better than I."

"Touché." Paul thought for a moment. "We could go to the movies. That's a typical type of date."

"It is." Mattie confirmed.

"What should we see?"

"Um…" Mattie racked her brain, trying to remember what had been listed in the paper that morning. " _Dirty Dancing_ and _Predator_ are all I remember that are playing."

"What do you want to see? And please don't say _Dirty Dancing._ "

Mattie laughed. "I'm fine with _Predator._ "

"Sweet. We'll see _Predator_ and then come back to the Boardwalk for dinner."

"Sounds like plan."

They settled back into the silence. Without even realizing it, an hour had passed.

"I should get back to meet up with my brothers."

Paul grimaced. "Can't I take you home later?" He whined.

Mattie shook her head and stood up, dusting off her butt. "No 'cause I drove Sam here."

"Can't your twin drive him back?"

"Mike took his motorcycle." Mattie replied.

Paul grimaced. "Fine. Help me up."

He held up his hand. Mattie took it and he promptly pulled her down on top of him, instantly engaging her in a kiss. Mattie allowed herself to get carried away for a few minutes before putting her hand on his chest and sitting up. Paul propped himself up on his elbows and stared at her. She felt lightheaded from the action and wasn't entirely sure she should be going as far as she was, but also loathe to put a stop to it.

"I have to go."

Paul sighed in defeat and this time, when Mattie stood, he didn't pull her back down. He took her hand, intertwining their fingers together as they walked back down the beach towards the Boardwalk. A giggle from Mattie caught Paul's attention and he glanced down at her.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just, here I was, thinking that my life was over just a couple days ago. And now, I'm making out on the beach with a totally hot blonde."

Paul barked out a laugh, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her up into his side so that he could press a kiss to the side of her head.

"You ain't seen nothing yet. Stick with me, babe, and you'll get introduced to a whole new world."

***BREAK***

Paul whistled _Charlotte the Harlot_ as he jogged down the stairs into the cave.

"What happened to Mattie?" Marko asked as soon as Paul's feet landed on the bottom step.

"She had to take her younger brother home." Paul replied, falling onto the couch. "I made sure they got home safely before heading back here."

Marko snorted. "Well aren't you a knight-in-shining armor."

"I like her." Paul shrugged, nonplussed by the mockery. "I mean, she ain't wild, but there's something, I don't know, alluring about her."

"That whole family has this pack losing their minds." David snapped. "I don't see anything special about them." This was a lie and only David's age (and therefore skill) kept it secret from his brother's. The truth was that he was as attracted to Mattie as Paul was.

"I don't know, Mattie is pretty cool." Marko interjected. "I mean, for a human."

David pinched the bridge of his nose. Mattie was the only Emerson he had any positive thoughts about. Michael got on his nerves with all his doe-eyed staring at Star, the youngest Emerson held the promise of being obnoxious, and the last thing David wanted was a mother. But Max had spoken and as long as Max held control over his brothers, David was bound to him.

"Change comes whether we want it or not." Dwayne stated in a low voice. "Max wants Lucy and she comes as a package deal."

"Man, this shit is bringing me down." Paul groaned, lighting up a joint.

"When are you supposed to see Mattie again?" David found himself asking.

"I'm supposed to take her to the movies and dinner tomorrow night."

"No, you're not."

Paul frowned. "What? Why not?"

"Because I think it's time that I get to know Mattie a little bit better."

Paul regarded his leader for a moment before laughing and taking another puff on his joint. "Suit yourself."

 *****END OF CHAPTER*****

 _ **Author's Note: Thanks for reading!**_


	5. Chapter 4

**_Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and/or followed. Sorry for the delay in posting, but I was on-site in a location that had zero internet for the past week. You probably won't have to wait too long for the next chapter because I'm seeing Kiefer Sutherland perform tonight and my muse is likely to be inspired._**

***START OF CHAPTER***

To say that Mattie was surprised when she exited her house on Friday night and saw David waiting at the end of the driveway on his motorcycle would be a gross understatement. With a set frown, she waited until she was a few feet from him to ask what he was doing there.

"I figured we could get to know each other a little better."

Mattie crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"

"Are you always so suspicious?"

"Only of men who smirk at me in disdain."

David put a hand to his heart, acting as though he was wounded. "When did I smirk at you in disdain?"

Mattie's response was a raised eyebrow. David laughed and then patted the seat behind him.

"What?"

"Get on."

"Why?"

"Because I'm taking you on a date."

Mattie's jaw dropped. "What?! A date?! But I'm sort…you know…with Paul?"

David laughed at that. A real, genuine laugh. And for a very brief moment, Mattie caught a glimpse of the man lurking under the veneer of practiced aloofness. It made her heart skip a beat, a fact for which she instantly felt guilty of.

"Paul knows I'm here and he doesn't care."

Mattie frowned, insulted by the notion that she was Paul's toy to share. "Oh, he doesn't, does he?"

"No. So, are you getting on or what?"

Mattie debated internally for a few seconds before shrugging and climbing onto the bike behind David. She loosely wrapped her arms around his waist.

"You're going to need a stronger grip than that, sweetheart." David teased as he yanked her arms forward.

Mattie was pulled forward, her cheek pressed against David's back. Scowling, she tightened her grip around David's waist, interlocking her fingers to keep herself secure. David took off.

The wind was so strong due to the breakneck speed that David was driving that Mattie had no choice but to keep her eyes closed for the journey. She lost all track of time as a heady mixture of fear, adrenaline, and excitement rushed through her body. With no view or conversation to distract her, Mattie let her mind wander to the subject of David. She had initially been antsy around Paul, but it had worn off within minutes of interacting with him. David, however, sent her heart into overdrive and not necessarily in a good way, but neither was it entirely unpleasant. There was a part of her, however small, that was very attracted to David and it helped keep her unsettled in his presence. She got the sense that she could, at least to a certain extent, control Paul, but with David, she knew that _he_ would control _her_.

By the time David pulled the bike to a stop and they climbed off, Mattie's hair was a mess and the arm-fringe of her camel-colored suede jacket was in tangles. She scowled at David as she tugged at her sheer black dress, trying to get it back down over her black tank top and jean shorts.

"I wouldn't have spent so much time curling my hair if I had known that we were going to race the damn wind and it was just going to end up a rat's nest."

"Here, let me help."

Mattie froze as David closed the small gap between them and ran his hands through her hair, untangling the large curls with his fingers in a surprisingly gentle manner. Mattie felt as though her heart was going to burst out from her chest.

"You can breathe now." David chuckled as he finished and stepped away.

"Right," Mattie exhaled, "Thank you."

David nodded at her as he lit a cigarette. Mattie took the opportunity to look around. She had no idea where they were, but it was a sight better than Santa Carla. It was a large, Victorian glass building that was very clearly a botanical garden of some sort. It was surrounded by trees and a beautiful summer garden. People in various types of clothing were milling about, talking and laughing over drinks. Mattie saw a sign standing on a tripod near the closed doors and she approached it so she could read it better. It was an exhibition for the proposed architecture redesign of the entire botanical park.

"Oh, it's so nice to see youth who care about their community." An older woman with shockingly bright red hair, a face full of wrinkles, and a purple dress with obscenely large yellow daffodils exclaimed excitedly as she pressed a pamphlet into Mattie's hand. "Remember to cast your vote for your favorite design before you leave."

And then she was gone.

Mattie was confused and said as much to David when he appeared at her side.

"My father was an architect." He explained, his voice flat and void of any emotion. Mattie waited for him to continue, but he didn't. Instead he motioned with his head for her to follow him inside.

There was a small orchestra playing near the entrance, but Mattie didn't recognize the music. A drink was pressed into her hand – a diet Pepsi, a later sip would reveal – but she was almost entirely focused on the site before her. The garden inside the glass building was stunning. It was an English garden in full bloom. Roses in every color, poppies, irises, and countless other flowers, plants, and trees that Mattie couldn't name. The stone pathway was made up of thousands of little different colored stones in a swirling pattern and lined with small, round bushes. White Christmas lights were strung from the black street lamps and ceiling. Wooden benches with black iron fastenings were placed throughout the area, though all were taken. The architecture exhibition consisted of 10 intricate drawings on tripods in the center of the large room. Stunned, Mattie turned back to David, her eyes wide and an amazed smile on her face.

***BREAK***

David didn't know what he was thinking and he was sure that he had lost his damn mind. When he had picked up Mattie earlier in the evening, he had intended to take her to the movies and that was all. So why he had taken the exit leading to the botanical gardens instead of the movie theater, he had no idea. But the smile that Mattie was wearing when she turned to him was worth it. Had he still been human and able to blush, he was sure his cheeks would've reddened. She was dangerous, this human, but David knew that he wouldn't give her up, even if he had the option. He decided that, at least for tonight, he would let his guard down (only slightly) and enjoy it.

"This is amazing." Mattie breathed, her eyes leaving his face to dart around the room again.

David chuckled. "I'm glad you like it."

"Come on!"

To his surprise, an exuberant Mattie grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the drawings in the middle of the room. Not for the first time, David was glad that he didn't share the same blood as his brothers because it allowed him to keep them out of his thoughts. He knew that Paul didn't care if he messed with Mattie – they had shared women before – but David wasn't sure that he liked the idea of sharing her.

They stopped before the first drawing and Mattie dropped his hand only to link their arms together.

"This design is so cold." She declared in a whisper that only he could hear.

David nodded in agreement. "It's too modern for a place like this." He traced a finger along the outline of the square tower within the image. "The lines are harsh; the concept is too boxy." He shifted his gaze towards the other drawings until he found the one he liked best. "Now, that one…."

Now he was the one tugging on her arm and leading her through the maze of people. They stopped in front of the drawing and Mattie gasped.

"It's beautiful!"

David chuckled at her tone. "The design is more organic and better suited to nature of the garden. It also incorporates the historical background of the botanic garden into its design. When it comes to designing buildings – " He stopped abruptly as he felt Mattie's lips on his cheeks. He glanced down and found her smiling fondly up at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's a secret." She laughed and then dragged him towards the ballot box.

***BREAK***

They spent another hour at the botanic gardens, talking about architecture and munching on the hors d'oeuvres offered by the staff. But the mood dampened as they left and headed back towards Mattie's house. They both knew that whatever this night had been was an anomaly and would best be kept as such.

The porchlight was on when David killed the engine of the motorcycle, but neither made a move to get off the bike.

"I had a good time tonight, David." Mattie said softly into his back.

"Yeah," David admitted, "So did I."

Slowly, Mattie slid herself off the bike and turned towards the pathway to head up to her front door. To both their surprise, David tugged her back by the hand and pulled her up against him. He kissed her.

"We can't do this again." He murmured against her lips.

"I know."

This time, when she stepped away, David let her go.

***END OF CHAPTER***

 ** _Author's Note: So, I was not expecting that chapter at all. The muse apparently has other plans than my original storyline. Hopefully you enjoyed it!_**


	6. Chapter 5

**_Author's Note: For those of you who are into Kiefer Sutherland's music, if you get the chance to see him perform live, do it. For those of you who aren't into Kiefer Sutherland's music, see him perform anyway. It was hands down one of the best concerts I've ever been to. And he looks even better in person than he does on the screen._**

***START OF CHAPTER***

It had been three days since Mattie had seen Paul, David, or any of the group at all, but she never felt completely free from their presence. Her dreams were definitely plagued by them, but her waking moments weren't much better. She was confused about her feelings for David, overwhelmed by her desire for Paul, and she felt like she was on the verge of some life changing event that she had neither signed up for nor had control over. And yet, despite all of the emotional turmoil, she felt calm.

She was ready for whatever life – or the guys – could throw at her.

"Hey mom." Mattie greeted as she entered the video store.

She had needed the car to run errands while Lucy was working which meant that she had to play chauffeur to her mother. Lucy was talking with Max behind the counter and they both smiled warmly at her.

Lucy was beaming. "Hey sweetheart!" She turned to Max. "Max, this is my daughter, Mattie."

Max shook her hand, smiling widely. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you."

Mattie laughed. "Should I be nervous?"

Max chuckled and shook his head. "Not at all."

"Okay, good." Mattie turned to her mom. "Ready to go?"

Lucy nodded. "I am." She turned once again to Max. "See you tomorrow."

Mattie watched as Max gave her mother a fond smile.

"See you tomorrow." Max turned his attention to Mattie. "And it was nice meeting you, Miss Emerson."

"Oh, eek, none of that 'miss' stuff; Mattie is just fine. And it was nice meeting you too." Mattie leaned in so that her mother – who was by the door – couldn't hear her. "By the way, I'm totally okay with you asking my mom out on a date as long as you treat her right."

Max laughed lightly. "I promise I'll be a complete gentleman."

Mattie smiled widely. "Good. Have a nice night, Max."

"Have a nice night, Mattie."

"What did you say to him?" Max heard Lucy hiss at her daughter as they left the store. Max waited for Mattie's playful response of 'nothing' before smiling at Marie and heading into his office in the back. He wasn't surprised to see Paul and David waiting.

"She's a lovely girl." Max mused as he sat down at his desk. His eyes found Paul's. "When are you going to turn her?"

It was David who replied. "Tomorrow night."

"We're going to get her brother too – Michael. Figured it'd be easier to get them both at the same time." Paul added.

Max nodded in approval. "Good."

But David was frowning. "The younger one is going to be harder. He's spending all his time with those annoying Frog brothers."

Max rolled his eyes. "He's not even 16; I'm sure you can handle him. And as soon as you do – and all three are turned – I'll take care of Lucy."

Having said all that he was going to, Max turned attention to his computer. David and Paul shared a look before heading out the back door.

***BREAK***

David lit a cigarette as he and Paul stepped into the warm night air.

"She misses us."

Paul glanced at David as he lit his own cigarette. "How can you read her so well? I mean, I get flashes and strong emotions, but that's it."

"I'm older." David replied cautiously.

Paul shrugged and let the subject drop for which David was grateful. The truth was that David had become slightly obsessed with Mattie and was thus able to focus in on her with almost alarming speed. David knew that she was a distraction, but he still unable to prevent her from remaining as such. So he had no choice but to go with it.

"I'm gonna call her up." Paul announced after a long drag on his cigarette. "Ask her to the movies."

David nodded. "Sounds good."

***BREAK***

 _Friday Night_

Mattie looked at herself in the mirror critically. She had gone more of a girly route tonight in her fashion choice and, after all the work she had put into her appearance, she was debating whether or not she should just change. Paul's phone call had sent her into a tizzy. Initially she had wanted to let him have it for not being upset about David taking her out, but her anger had been quickly replaced by excitement (and hormones) at seeing Paul again. So, she had said yes to the date.

"You look nice." Lucy complimented as she entered Mattie's room through their shared bathroom. She reached out to finger the pale-yellow fabric attached to the jean top of the skirt. "You look better in that skirt than I ever did."

"I do?" Mattie questioned, unsure. "Not too girly?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Mattie, I hate to break it to you, but you're a girl. You're _always_ going to look girly." Mattie laughed. "Seeing Paul tonight?"

"Hopefully."

Lucy reached over and squeezed her daughter's hand. "He'll show up."

Mattie sent her mom a grateful smile. "Thanks. So….how are things going with Max?"

Lucy flushed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Mattie laughed. "Mom, you are _so_ not good at being nonchalant."

"Mattie!" Grandpa hollered upstairs. "Fella at the door for you!"

"Wish me luck!" Mattie exclaimed, giving her mom a quick kiss on the cheek, before rushing downstairs.

Her grandfather was standing at the bottom of the stairs and sent her a disapproving look. "I don't like him."

"Well you aren't dating him." Mattie teased. "So it works out. Bye."

Paul was standing on the porch when she exited the house and he turned to smile at her.

"Hey there! Long time no see. Told you I'd show up." Mattie smiled before closing the distance between them and leaning up to press a kiss to his lips. Paul picked her up and spun her around once before placing her back down on her feet. "Ready for our date?"

Mattie nodded. "Ready."

***BREAK***

The movie theater was packed, but Paul was clearly known here too since the crowd parted like the Red Sea for Moses as the couple passed. While initially put off by the whole intimidation thing, Mattie had to admit that she was starting to enjoy the power he and his friends had.

Paul was a complete gentleman throughout the entire movie; he only held her hand and played with her fingers. Mattie found herself disappointed. She had been expecting him to at least _try_ and make out with her, but the entire movie went by without him making a single move.

"Are you okay?" She asked as they headed for his motorcycle after the movie.

"Yeah, why?"

"You didn't even try to kiss me once during the movie." Mattie pouted.

Paul laughed as he lifted her up onto his bike. He placed his hands on the seat on either side of her.

"Babe, I wanted to kiss you during every second of that movie, but I was being polite and holding back. I thought that's what you wanted. You're sending me mixed signals."

Mattie flushed as she realized that he was right. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Just tell me what you want."

"You." The word left her mouth before she even realized it, but it was out there and it was clearly what her instincts wanted so she left it.

Paul grinned and leaned down to kiss her before replying, "Babe, you already got me. Come on, the guys are waiting at the Boardwalk."

***BREAK***

"Mattie girl!" Marko exclaimed excitedly as soon as he saw her. He grabbed her away from Paul and began to dance with her. "How was your date?"

"Paul didn't make a move on me all night." She replied with a pout, casting a teasing grin towards her boyfriend who rolled his eyes. As she turned again, her eyes met David's and she felt her heart start to pound. Flushing, she turned away.

Marko shook his head and gave Paul a displeased look. "Paul, did you forget what I told you about appropriate movie theater behavior?"

"Shut up." Paul growled playfully before snatching Mattie away.

"So, what's the game plan?" Mattie asked as Paul wrapped his arms around her waist. "Are we hanging out here at the Boardwalk?"

"No." David replied with a shake of his head. "Thought it was high time for you to see where we live."

"Is it awesome? I bet it's awesome."

Marko, David, and Paul laughed.

"Oh, don't worry Mattie girl, it's awesome." Marko confirmed. "Hey Laddie."

Mattie took in the little boy that had arrived on the scene with Dwayne. He, in turn, took in Mattie.

"Come here Laddie." Paul motioned for the boy to come forward and he did. Paul knelt down. "Laddie, this is Mattie; Mattie, this is Laddie." Mattie too knelt down and gave Laddie a wide smile as she held out her hand.

"Hi, Laddie. It's nice to meet you."

Laddie shook her hand with strength Mattie wasn't expecting.

"Hi Mattie." Laddie looked at Paul. "Is she going to be like Star?"

Paul nodded. "Yup. Is that okay?"

Laddie examined Mattie critically for a moment before giving a definitive nod. "Yup."

Paul and Marko laughed as Mattie wiped fake sweat from her brow.

"Phew. I thought you were gonna say no for a minute there, Laddie." Mattie teased.

Laddie laughed.

"He's precocious, our little brother." Paul stated as both he and Mattie stood. "He wouldn't have said no to you."

Mattie rolled her eyes at the obviousness cheesiness, but smiled nonetheless.

David snuffed out his cigarette. "Let's find Star and go home."

Without objection or hesitation, Marko, Dwayne, and Paul went to their bikes. Mattie naturally rode behind Paul; Laddie went with Dwayne. They traveled down the Boardwalk, the patrons parting out of a mixture of deference, fear, and common sense to avoid getting run over. It was clear the boys were not interested in avoiding the people so the people would have to avoid them. To Mattie's surprise, they pulled to a stop surrounding her brother and a girl around Mattie's age who could only be Star.

"Where you going, Star?" David asked.

"For a ride." She replied tersely.

" _This_ is the guy you were talking about?" Michael snapped at Mattie as he eyed Paul.

Paul was not intimidated in the slightest. "Got a problem with that, buddy?"

"Yeah, actually." Michael replied.

"Come on, Mike, don't make a scene." Mattie pleaded.

"Yeah, Mike, don't make a scene." Marko mocked.

Everyone but Star, Mike, and Mattie laughed.

"Fine. Have it your way." Michael took Star's hand. "Let's go Star."

"Star." David warned. Star looked between David and Michael for a moment before giving in and climbing onto David's bike. She sent Michael an apologetic look as David revved his bike. "Know where Hudson's Bluff is? Overlooking the point?" "I can't beat your bike." Michael replied. David shared a smirk with his boys. "You don't have to beat me, Michael. You just gotta keep up." _"_ _Hold on, babe."_ Paul warned seconds before they were off.

For Mattie, the ride was a blur. She spent most of it with her face buried in Paul's jacket. She realized that it was probably best that she not see what they were almost hitting and she prayed that her brother didn't end up seriously injured, or worse, dead. They drove so fast that they reached their destination in minutes and the ride ended with Michael throwing himself at David.

"Just you!" Her twin yelled as Mattie rushed forward to pull him back.

"Jesus, Michael, calm down!"

"He tried to kill me!" Michael snapped.

David just laughed. "If I wanted you dead, Michael, you'd be dead."

Paul was laughing too as he pulled Mattie away from her brother. He put his arms around her and walked forward leaving Mattie no choice but to walk forward as well.

"David won't hurt your brother." Paul promised when she glanced back in concern. Paul brushed her hair away from her neck and kissed the space that greeted him. "I might just eat you up though."

Distracted by the thought, Mattie giggled. "Not in front of my brother."

"Yeah, not in front of her brother, bro." Marko teased.

Mattie laughed as Paul chased after him.

"Sure you want in this family?" David asked, surprising Mattie with his presence as they walked down the stairs that appeared to lead to a cave opening.

"Somehow I don't think I ever had a choice." She smiled.

David sent her a strange, side-smirk, but nodded. "None of us did, but for what it's worth," He pushed open the door for her. "I think you're a good fit." The smile left David's face as Michael breezed past him - Star in hand. Mattie felt a surprising pang of jealously rear up within her as she interpreted David's look as one of jealously about Star and David. "Not so sure about your brother, though." Mattie grimaced, more out of irritation with herself for wanting to be David's object of desire instead of Star. _You're with Paul_ , she reminded herself, _you like Paul._ David turned his eyes on her again and smirked. Images of their kiss replayed in her mind and she flushed. David grinned and Mattie once again got the sense that he knew what she was thinking.

"Hey David, why are you making my girl so sad?" Paul asked. "I don't like seeing her pout."

David rolled his eyes and gently pushed Mattie into the main room. "So, here we are."

The sight was almost overwhelming; even Michael stopped to appreciate the cavern they had just entered. A large fountain in the middle of the room took up most of the space, but not much. It was filled with all sorts of odds and ends; rock posters lined parts of the wall. The entire room was a beautiful disaster.

"This was the hottest resort in Santa Carla back about eighty years ago." David explained as the twins took it all in. "Too bad they built it right on top of the San Andreas Fault." Paul disappeared only to reappear with a boom box. "In 1906, when the big one hit San Francisco, the ground opened up and this place took a header into the crack." David grinned proudly. "Now it's all ours." "It's amazing." Mattie breathed. "You're impressed easily." Michael muttered, still annoyed at being shown up by David and the boys. Mattie flipped him off; an action he returned. "Ah, the joys of being siblings." Marko laughed. "Marko, food." David ordered. "Coming right up!" Marko disappeared back up the stairs. David fell into an old wheelchair. Michael took a seat near Star who appeared incredibly nervous and on edge. Paul grabbed Mattie and began to dance to the music blaring out of the boom box speakers as Laddie danced inside the fountain. "That's what I love about this place." David mused. "All you gotta do is ask." "Man, I need a smoke." Paul announced suddenly and stopped dancing. He led Mattie to the couch and then disappeared. Mattie settled into the couch, curling her legs up underneath her. Paul returned a moment later with a joint between his lips. He sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "Want some?" He held out the joint to her; Mattie shook her head. "No thanks." "You don't mind if I do it, do you?" Mattie shook her head again. "No." Paul nodded, his eyes already becoming glazed from the drug. "Cool." In seemingly no time at all, Marko jogged back down the steps, a cardboard box in his arms. "Chow time!" He announced. "Chinese." David purred. "Excellent choice." Mattie took an eggroll from the pile of food. Michael appeared to be unsure about the food. David held a carton out towards him. "It's only rice. Don't you like rice? Come on. 300 million Chinese people can't be wrong." David teased. His feathers ruffled, Michael took the carton. Barely a minute had passed before David asked him, "How you liking those maggots, Michael?" Michael paused, his chopsticks raised. "They're maggots, Michael." David continued. "You're eating maggots." Michael looked down at his food and dropped the carton, spitting out the food in his mouth. The rice – and it was rice, Mattie could see it – spilled all over the floor. "Leave him alone." Star snapped. "Sorry about that." David apologized, sounding anything but apologetic. "No hard feelings, huh? Here, have some noodles." He held out another carton. A sick look came over Michael's face. "Worms." Was all he said. David frowned. "What?" "They're worms." "What do you mean they're worms?" Completely unconcerned, David shoved some into his mouth. Michael tried to stop him. "No, don't." But the noodles – _really_ , Mattie frowned, _what was up with her brother?_ – slid into David's mouth easily. "They're only noodles." David stated. Mattie felt a pang of sympathy for her brother, who looked completely confused. "Knock it off." Star snapped, this time more forcefully, as she came up to sit behind Michael. "Chill out girl." Marko muttered as Paul snorted. A new song, more mellow, started to play and the atmosphere and mood of the room changed. David looked to Marko who disappeared once again, this time into a back room. When he returned, it was with a jeweled bottle of red wine. David took a drink, a strange look coming over his face. He held out the bottle to Michael. "Don't, Michael." Star warned softly. "You don't have to. It's blood." Michael snorted derisively. "It's blood, right." He took a big swig and all the boys cheered. David took the bottle back and handed it to Marko who made his way over to Mattie and Paul on the couch. Paul took the bottle from Marko and held it out to Mattie. Mattie felt her heart quicken as all eyes fell on her. She suddenly felt that she was about to make a huge life altering decision. Gingerly, she took the bottle, placed it to her lips, and tilted it back. She had never had wine before, but she knew instinctively that there was something extraordinary about this wine. It tasted like clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and allspice; it felt like fire on her lips but ice running through her veins. Having taken a large swig, Mattie handed the bottle back to Marko before having her red-dyed lips covered in a heated kiss by Paul. "That's my girl." Mattie smiled as her vision blurred. The room was spinning, but she had never felt better. ***BREAK***

"Can't I stay with her?" Paul asked as he stared down at Mattie's face, his fingers playing in her hair.

She had fallen asleep minutes ago; her body was absorbing the blood and changing her faster than her brother. The change happened differently for each person and for Mattie it was exhausting.

"No." Came David's terse reply. "You'll have time to play tomorrow night. Tonight we have to take care of Michael."

Paul pouted, but stood from the bed. He pointed at Star who was hovering nervously nearby.

"Watch her, but don't mess with her. I'll bring her home when we get back. And don't tell her anything either if she wakes up." He ordered. Paul leaned down and brushed a kiss against Mattie's lips. "Sweet dreams, babe."

***END OF CHAPTER**

 ** _Author's Note: Thanks for reading/reviewing/following. I look forward to your thoughts on this chapter._**


	7. Chapter 6

**_Author's Note: To everyone who read, reviewed, or followed, my sincere thanks!_**

***START OF CHAPTER***

Mattie awoke with a gasp, sitting straight up in bed. Her room came sharply into focus and she frowned as her foggy mind tried to remember how she had gotten home. It ended up being a fruitless struggle. She groaned and decided on the spot to never drink again. Forcing herself out of bed, Mattie shuffled into the bathroom. She debated looking at her reflection in the mirror, but decided that she wasn't ready to face her appearance so she figured a bath first and damage appraisal after. Her bath had barely started when a knock came at the door. Mattie shuffled back into her room and opened the door. Sam gave her a once over and frowned.

"You look like shit. Are you sick?"

"What do you want?" Mattie growled, annoyed.

"Mom left us a list of chores."

"Okay..." Mattie said slowly, not understanding why Sam had knocked on her door.

"I wanted to know if we could switch. You take mowing the lawn and I'll do laundry."

"Not a chance." Mattie snorted. "Enjoy your sunburn."

She closed the door, ignoring Sam's string of curses. The tub was close to overflowing; Mattie had to drain some of the water just to get inside. Once she was in the water, she relaxed and closed her eyes, her mind again returning to the events of last night. All she remembered was sitting on the couch with Paul nuzzling her neck – all the while earning death glares from Michael – eating Chinese food. The boys – mostly David – had been teasing Michael who had fallen for their jokes repeatedly. The last thing she remembered was taking a sip of the wine. The rest was blank. She hoped she hadn't done anything stupid. The thought of making herself look like an ass in front of Paul, David, and the guys made her flush with embarrassment.

She stayed in the bath until the water turned cool and then dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt before heading downstairs with her laundry basket under her arm. She could see Sam outside struggling with the lawnmower, there was music blaring in grandpa's taxidermy room, and no sign of Michael. Mattie figured that he was still asleep. The minute she stepped onto the porch and the sun hit her eyes, a sharp pain ran through her head. Dropping the laundry basket, Mattie rushed back inside to get her sunglasses. Once her sunglasses were in place, she gingerly returned to the laundry on the porch. The sunlight still hurt her eyes, but the sunglasses made it bearable. While she had been gone, Nanook had decided to play in the clothes which had fallen on the floor.

"Knock it off, Nanook." Mattie muttered in annoyance as she went to bat him away.

She quickly retracted her hand when the husky growled menacingly at her. Mattie frowned. Nanook had _never_ growled at her before.

There was a tense moment where Mattie was sure that Nanook was going to attack her, but instead he ran from the room. Shaking her head – and calming her on-edge nerves – at his strange behavior, Mattie returned to the laundry. As her clothes and those of her mother's spiraled around in the washer, Mattie went upstairs to collect Sam's and Michael's. Sam's were sprawled out all over the floor and Mattie grimaced. Bending down to pick them up, she was startled by her reflection – or lack thereof – in the mirror on the door.

Her reflection was see-through.

Mattie stared at herself for a moment before hurriedly gathering up the clothes and fleeing the room. She slammed the door shut and leaned against it to catch her breath.

"You okay kiddo?" Her grandpa asked from the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm fine." Mattie lied, forcing a shaky smile.

"Wanna go into town?"

Mattie shook her head. "No, thanks."

"Suit yourself."

Her grandpa eyed her for a moment longer before continuing his way outside. Mattie stayed where she was, her mind reeling about whatever had just happened. It had to be the alcohol. She was just extremely hungover from whatever had been in that bottle. Gathering herself, Mattie made her way over to Michael's room and knocked on the door.

"Go away." Mike growled from inside.

"I need your laundry."

"Get it later!" Michael snapped. "Now go away!"

"Fine! Do your own goddamn laundry asshat!" Mattie snapped before stalking downstairs.

***BREAK***

As she waited for the laundry, Mattie decided to address the hunger that her body was feeling. She opened the fridge and scanned the shelves. Absolutely nothing appealed to her. With a growl of frustration, she slammed the door shut. If she were to name what she wanted, she would've said 'raw, red meat', but instead she ignored her instinct and returned to the porch to doze – and ignore the hunger pains – while she waited for the laundry buzzer.

***BREAK***

The laundry buzzer woke her with a start. Adrenaline rushing through her veins, Mattie continued to lay still on the couch. She had dreamt of the boys again, but this time, they were covered in blood and holding out their hands to her. She had just taken Paul's slippery hand when the buzzer had gone off. Slowly, she sat up. Something was going on and she had to find out what. Standing with a groan, Mattie glanced at the clock near the screen door.

There were still two hours until sundown and she instinctively knew that she wouldn't be able to speak to Paul until the sun had sunk below the horizon. And so, she waited.

***BREAK***

"Where are you going?" Sam asked as Mattie breezed past him, heading for the door.

"The Boardwalk."

"Now?" Sam asked, eyebrow raised. "It just got dark."

"I need to find Paul." Mattie opened the door, but paused to look over her shoulder. "Tell Michael I went out."

Sam rolled his eyes. "If he ever wakes up. Mom said he has to watch me tonight."

Mattie frowned. "I think you're past the age of needing a baby sitter."

"That's what I said, but mom insisted. She thinks we need to hang out more." Sam rolled his eyes. "Brother bonding time or whatever."

"Where's she gonna be tonight anyway?"

"She has a date with Max." Sam muttered, obviously annoyed at the thought.

Mattie grinned. "Go mom. Alright, I'm out of here. Later. And don't forget to tell Mike!" She heard Sam mutter a 'yeah, yeah' before she started to jog down towards the Boardwalk.

When she arrived, the lights were on and people, though not a lot of people, were milling about. Mattie knew, as soon as she stepped onto the Boardwalk, that Paul and the guys weren't there. It was like she could sense that they were nowhere near. It was really strange and Mattie knew it was connected to all the other strange things that were happening. She could feel a change in her gut and it was disconcerting to say the least. She ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath. She just needed to talk to Paul; he would explain everything.

Not paying attention to where she was going, Mattie didn't realize that she had left the Boardwalk and entered an abandoned lot until a voice behind her asked if she was lost. Startled, Mattie whirled around and saw a large man leering at her from not even five feet away.

"No." Mattie replied to his question. She tried to retrace her steps and pass him to return to the Boardwalk, but the man grabbed her wrist. "Let me go."

"Let's have a little fun first."

"No thanks. I'm not interested."

"I wasn't asking." The man growled before dragging her towards a dumpster that would block them from view.

Mattie instantly began to struggle; he threw her onto the ground and she hit her head. Dazed, she could only watch through blurry eyes as the man crawled on top of her. As her senses returned, Mattie thrashed against him as he struggled to hold onto her wrists. Mattie panicked as she realized that he was trying to tie them together with his belt. She fought harder.

"The more you squirm, the harder I'm gonna hold you." The man snarled, finally getting his belt around her wrists.

He bent down to kiss her; what Mattie did next was driven by pure instinct and an overwhelming thirst. She sank her teeth into his neck. The man howled in pain and fear. Within seconds, the tables had turned and now he was the one struggling to get away, but Mattie held fast, wrapping her legs around him. Soon he stopped struggling and then he was dead. Her thirst quenched, Mattie's other senses came back and she scrambled away from the bloody corpse in horror. She raised her hands to wipe the blood from her mouth, but her wrists were still bound together by the belt. She started to sob as she tried to get the belt off with her teeth. Between the blood, her tears, and her distraught state, Mattie could not undo the belt. Her shoulders slumped in defeat just as Paul descended behind the dumpster. He knelt and, within seconds, her wrists were free.

"Mattie," He grabbed her chin when she refused to meet his eyes. Both his touch and expression were soft. "You didn't do anything wrong. Don't feel bad."

"That's the problem." She sobbed. "I'm crying because I _don't_ feel bad." To her surprise, Paul began to laugh. Mattie glared at him. "How is any of this funny?"

He pulled her to her feet. "Oh babe."

Mattie saw then that Marko was burning the body.

"He's laughing 'cause David owes him $50 bucks." Marko explained. "David didn't think you'd kill without a push."

The truth was that she had been pushed into the action, but Mattie was in no position to argue.

Paul slung an arm around Mattie. "He shouldn't have underestimated my girl. Come on, let's get you back to the cave and cleaned up."

***BREAK***

"What am I?" Mattie asked Paul with a hint of accusation in her tone as he looked through the closet for something she could wear.

Her body was free of blood thanks to a quick, cold shower at the cave. Currently, she sat on the bed, wrapped in a towel. They were alone in one of back rooms, Paul having made it clear that they needed some solo time.

"One of us." Paul replied.

Mattie rolled her eyes. "And what exactly is 'us'?"

Paul morphed his face and turned around to look at her. "Vampire." He answered before returning his face to normal. Mattie tried to morph her face, but couldn't. "It's hard at first – changing your face at will. It usually only comes out when you feed, but you seem to be a quick learner so I bet you'll have it down pat soon. Here."

He tossed her an oversized Led Zeppelin shirt. Mattie retreated into the bathroom to dress in the shirt and a pair of Paul's boxers; she looked at her face in the mirror. She didn't look any different, but she sure as hell felt different. She abruptly turned away from the mirror and exited the bathroom. Paul was lying propped up on the bed and he motioned her over. Mattie, drained from the very sudden and drastic change in her life, had no more energy to be nervous; she climbed onto the bed and allowed Paul to pull her into his arms. They laid there silently for a few minutes, Paul kissing and nuzzling the back of her neck while Mattie drew soft lines up and down his arms.

"I can't go home again, can I?"

"It probably isn't a good idea." Paul admitted into her hair.

"What am I going to tell my mom?"

"Tell her you're staying with me tonight." He replied as his hands traveled up under her – his – shirt.

Her heart hammering in her chest, Mattie fought to keep her voice even. "That works for tonight, but not –" The words died on her lips as Paul covered her mouth with his.

"We'll worry about tomorrow tomorrow." He promised as he pulled the shirt from her body. "Tonight, you're all mine."

***BREAK***

The 'first time sex' experience was like nothing Mattie had ever expected, but then again she wasn't having a typical experience, she was having a vampire version. And she had a feeling that it blew a normal girl's first time out of the water. Every feeling – every sensation – was amplified a thousand times over. It was like a contradiction. Paul was gentle, but fierce. He was careful to pay attention to every part of her body until Mattie thought that she was going to explode. It was an experience beyond words.

Afterwards, as they lay in bed, Paul lit up a joint. From her spot on his stomach, Mattie glanced up at him. His expression was thoughtful.

"So, I know this is totally cliché, but what are you thinking?"

Paul laughed quietly. "Babe, I'm not gonna lie, I've been with scores of girls –" While not surprised, Mattie couldn't stop herself from feeling jealous and she felt a growl rising in her chest. Paul laughed. "There's no comparison." He assured her. He reached down and stroked her cheek with his thumb once. "You're the only vampire woman I've been with. Actually, you're the only full vampire woman I've ever met."

Mattie frowned. "Star isn't…?"

"No," Paul interrupted, his voice laced with annoyance. "She refuses to feed and to become a full-fledged vampire you need to feed. Michael was supposed to be her first kill." Mattie sat up in alarm. "Don't worry, the plan has completely changed now. Now he's gonna be one of us." He glanced at her, his expression tender. "Like you."

"What changed the plan?" Mattie asked, fingering the sheet that was pooled around her waist.

"You." Paul replied. She looked at him and he smiled surprisingly gently. "Babe, in case you hadn't noticed, I fell kinda hard for you." Mattie blushed. Paul pulled her back down on top of him so he could kiss her deeply. "I didn't want to do anything that would hurt you." He continued. "And your mother, but I'll explain that later."

Mattie frowned, but let it go.

"Well, thanks for not killing my brother." Mattie giggled before pressing a quick kiss to his lips and jumping up off the bed.

"Hey, I say all that and you run away? Where are you going?"

"Everywhere." Mattie replied as she went to check on her pants. They were dry enough so she tugged them on. "I want to see what life is like now."

Paul watched as she pulled on her shirt. "You're taking all of this surprisingly well." He mused.

Mattie smiled before leaping onto the bed and pushing him back down onto the bed. She pulled the joint from his mouth, took a quick draw, and then held it out of the way as she leaned down to kiss him. Paul quickly escalated the action by running his hands up her shirt, clearly with a mind to take it off. Mattie giggled against his lips and pulled away.

"I feel good." She answered in response to his earlier question. "Like really good. My body feels so…so…electrified and alive." She placed the joint back into Paul's mouth. "Let's go eat a bad guy!"

She looked like an enthusiastic five-year-old, her eyes wide and innocent, and Paul burst out laughing.

"I forgot how energetic newborns are." David said from the door, announcing his presence. "You seem to be taking it well."

Mattie grinned at him. "That's what Paul said."

"What about your brother?"

Mattie shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since I left the house. He was still sleeping."

David tapped his head. "See if you can find him with this."

"What?" She giggled. "Am I psychic now too?"

"Yes." David and Paul replied in sync.

"But you're going to have to work on it. Since he's your twin and you already have a connection, Michael should be the easiest one for you to connect with." David explained.

Mattie nodded before turning abruptly and smacking Paul on chest. He grimaced.

"Ow. You're a lot stronger now, you know." He muttered, rubbing at the spot. "And what was that for?"

"For not telling me that I was psychic too."

Paul rolled his eyes.

"Mattie." She whipped her head towards David who was now standing next to the bed. "Focus. Find Michael." Mattie nodded, abashed. She closed her eyes. "You don't have to close your eyes like they do in movies." David muttered as though speaking to a child.

Mattie's eyes flew open and she glared at him.

"Do you want me to do this or not?" She snapped. David held his palms up in surrender. Mattie closed her eyes again and began to focus on her brother as hard as she could. "How do I, you know, get his attention?" She asked without opening her eyes.

"Just say his name in your head." David replied. "Like you would if you were sitting next to him and wanted him to look at you."

 _"_ _Michael."_ There was no response. She tried again. _"Michael."_ She could hear his thoughts, although she could only identify a few words here and there; they were like a conversation in the distance. "He's at home, I think." She said out loud. She tried one more time to get his attention, but while he was thinking of her – she could hear her name – he didn't actually respond. Mattie pulled away and opened her eyes. "He's not answering." Paul chuckled and even David cracked a small smirk. "I don't think he's taking it well. He seemed really confused and upset." She frowned. "Maybe I should go home and talk to him."

But David shook his head. "No, leave him be. Besides," A smirk came over David's face. "I want to see what you can do." He offered her a hand; Mattie accepted it and he pulled her out of the bed. For the briefest of moments, their mutual yet muted attraction to one another flashed through their shared gaze, but then David let her go. "Let's see what kind of damage those doe eyes can do."

***BREAK***

Strolling the Boardwalk as a vampire was an entirely different experience from strolling the Boardwalk as a human. She now knew why the boys strutted the way they did: the Boardwalk really _did_ belong to them. She felt like a panther stalking her prey in the jungle.

It was an intoxicating feeling.

"Do they all smell different?" She asked David as her nose caught a dazzling array of scents.

All four vampires nodded.

"Some will smell better to you than others and it's all about personal taste." Marko explained with a laugh as he ogled a petite brunette who was walking by. "I like teenagers. They taste like bubblegum." Dwayne gave the short blonde a playful shove. "Dwayne, on the other hand, likes them exotic." Marko teased.

Mattie looked at Paul expectantly.

"Tall, leggy, and blonde." He replied, completely unashamed. "Typical rocker chicks. They tend to taste like beer and pot." Mattie rolled her eyes and turned to David. "Don't bother. He doesn't have a type."

David rolled his eyes as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"What smells good to you, Mattie?" Marko asked.

Mattie stopped walking and just sniffed. A scent of suntan lotion and sand hit her and she followed it to its source: a man of average height in khaki pants and a blue polo shirt. A grin spread over her face.

"He smells pretty good."

Paul followed her line of sight and a low growl emitted from his throat.

"Pick a girl." He ordered.

"He's food, Paul." David muttered in annoyance. "She didn't complain when you stated your preference."

Paul scowled and crossed his arms.

"It doesn't matter." Mattie shrugged. "I'm not really that hungry anyway." She was still a little squeamish about taking the life of someone else. Her first kill had been in self-defense. But to lure someone innocent and then kill him was an entirely different affair.

"If you feel more comfortable playing vigilante, head down to the carousel where the Surf Nazis hang out." David suggested as he read her thoughts. "Though the sooner you get over that squeamishness, the better."

Mattie looked up at Paul who was still glowering at suntan lotion man. She poked him in the side and he jumped. She giggled as he rubbed the area.

"Great, your poke is even worse now." He grumbled before breaking into a grin and picking her up to swing her around.

Mattie laughed and they shared a kiss after Paul placed her back down on her feet.

"Are there are any rules I should know?" Mattie asked as they started to walk the Boardwalk again.

Paul slung his arm around her neck casually, but possessively.

"Make new vampires at your own risk, but never babies or really young kids because they're extremely dangerous. They're all emotion and can't be controlled." David replied before taking a drag from his cigarette.

Mattie nodded. That would be easy enough to follow. She had no intention of making any new vampires anyway.

"Don't get discovered." Paul stated matter-of-factly.

"And be back at the cave by sun up or become a piece of toast." Marko added.

"That's it?" They nodded. "Okay. Are there….others like us in the area?"

"A handful." David replied. "Most others were either killed or scared off. The ones that stayed made a deal."

"Max is pretty protective of his turf." Paul rolled his eyes.

Mattie stopped walking. "Wait, Max? Max as in video store Max? Max as in Max who is dating my mom Max?"

David sent Paul an annoyed look which Paul ignored with a shrug. "She was gonna find out sooner or later."

"Okay, what's going on?" Mattie demanded.

"Alright Mattie," David sighed, "Let's go introduce you to your maker."

***BREAK***

The boys brought her to Max's video store which was closed for the night, but a light remained on in the back. They entered through an unlocked side door and Max smiled at Mattie in greeting.

"Welcome to our little family Mattie." He greeted. Everyone settled down except for Mattie who chose to stay standing next to Paul's chair in front of Max's desk. "I'm sure you have some questions and I promise to do my best to answer them."

"David said you're my maker."

Max nodded. "Yes. It was my blood you drank in that wine the other night."

"So, you're the head vampire?"

Once again Max nodded. He took off his glasses and began to clean them. Mattie guessed that it was more from habit than necessity. Max returned the glasses to his face.

"And I have great plans for your mother." Mattie felt a rush of panic. Max smiled reassuringly. "I'm not going to kill her." He stated honestly. "I want her to be my wife - forever. I want us all to be a family forever. The boys, you, your brothers…" Max reached across the desk to take her hand. He smiled. "It is so nice to finally have a daughter that appreciates the gift she has been given."

Mattie flushed with unexpected pride. Max removed his hand.

"What about my mom?"

"I plan on turning your mother myself; after your brothers are turned."

Mattie's small slice of humanity had reservations about the whole plan and she voiced them.

"I thought you enjoyed being a vampire." Max scolded lightly.

"I do!" Mattie rushed to say. "I mean it's only been for like a minute, but everything is so amazing. It's just…I'm not sure my mother - or even Sam and Michael for that matter - are going to go for it. And I don't want them to get hurt."

"I have no intention of hurting them, but if they don't turn," Max warned, "You'll never be able to see them again."

Mattie blinked in surprise. "What?"

"We can't be discovered." David reminded her from his perch in the window alcove. "Humans, even ones we knew before, can't know we exist."

"They'd try to kill us." Paul added.

Mattie glanced down at him.

"Or worse." Marko chimed in. "Experiment on us."

Everyone shuddered at the thought.

"So, you see Mattie," Mattie turned her head back to Max, "If we don't turn your family, the consequences for you are grave indeed." Mattie allowed Paul to pull her onto his lap. She buried her face into his neck. Max glanced towards the window. "It's getting close to dawn."

It was a dismissal from the office and an order to go home and they all knew it. Silently, the group left Max's video store and started for the cave.

"Hey Mattie," Mattie tore herself away from Paul to look at David. "No matter what happens, you're a part of our family."

It was a surprisingly sentimental statement from the platinum blonde vampire, but it was sincere and Mattie appreciated it. It was exactly what she needed to hear. They shared a smile and Mattie once again to feel hope that everything was going to be alright.

***END OF CHAPTER***

 ** _Author's Note: I was a little nervous about writing this chapter so I hope it came out alright. Thanks for reading!_**


	8. Chapter 7

**_Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, but real life demands unfortunately have to come first! Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/favorited/followed._**

***START OF CHAPTER***

"Hey mama!"

Lucy's head shot up and a smile – one mixed with relief and anger – came over her face.

"Matilda!" The older woman exclaimed as she ran out from behind the counter to pull her daughter into a tight hug. "When are you coming home?!"

Mattie glanced towards Marko, her current partner in crime, who chuckled behind his thumb and turned his attention on Maria. Mattie turned back to her mom.

"Maybe in a few days."

It was obvious that her answer displeased Lucy as her lips went pencil thin.

"Mattie, I'm not sure I approve of you living with your boyfriend." Lucy looked around them. "Where is Paul, by the way?"

"He had to help Dwayne with something so I'm hanging out with Marko. Marko!"

The curly-haired blonde wriggled his eyebrows at Maria before strolling over to join Mattie and her mother. He nodded at Lucy, his face an angelic mask that could charm the pitchfork from the Devil. It also happened to work quite well on Lucy.

"Hello, Marko." She blushed. "How are you doing, sweetheart?"

"Oh sure." Mattie snorted, crossing her arms. "He gets 'sweetheart' and I get 'Matilda!'"

Lucy smacked her arm. "I'm just worried about you."

"She's safe and sound with us, Mrs. E!" Marko chirped. "She's eating well and showering every day, making sure to clean behind her ears too!"

Mattie elbowed Marko who laughed as Lucy scolded her.

"Things are going to change when school starts, missy."

"Mom, I already told you, I'm not sure I want to go to college."

The door dinged as Max walked in and her mother's concentration was shattered. Mattie bit back a smile as her mother's face flushed from Max's beeline towards her.

"Good evening Lucy." He purred as he bent down to kiss her.

Mattie averted her eyes and made contact with Marko instead who nodded towards the door.

"Hi Max! See you later mom!" Mattie waved before making a mad dash from the video store.

"Look at the big bad vampriella all freaked out by her mommy!"

Marko's jibe earned him Mattie's signature poke to the side. She grinned in satisfaction as the blonde yelped and missed a beat in his step.

"It's just complicated right now because I can't tell her the truth."

"I hear yah, I can't wait until this whole family bullshit is over and done with."

"I hope Max doesn't want us to move out of the cave." Mattie sighed, her face taking on a fond expression. "I love that place."

"It's our home." Marko agreed before they fell into a companionable silence. Anyone looking at them would see just two young adults, strolling the boardwalk with blissful smiles on their faces. The truth, however, was that both were starting to get hungry and thus had switched into prowl mode.

Mattie raised her nose to the air as the scent of tropical suntan lotion hit her. The scent was coming from her left and she turned her head to find its source. There was a group of young men in their early 20s, drinking and laughing as they tried to chat up a group of girls. They were clearly tourists and well off, judging by their clothes and attitudes.

"I'll find you back at the bonfire." She informed Marko before veering off towards the boys.

Her target was the tallest of the group and clearly the leader. He was exactly the kind of guy that would've given Mattie a hard time back in Phoenix. Mattie let her hair down and ran her hands through it before tucking the right side behind her ear. Taking on a coquettish air, Mattie walked past the group, making eye contact and smiling at the leader out of the corner of her eye and just briefly.

It worked.

"Hey!" His voice followed her as his footsteps brought him closer. "You are by far the most beautiful girl I've seen in this dump since I got here."

Mattie had to bite back a scowl. His tone made it clear that she was supposed to be impressed by his words and attention.

"This dump is my home." She kept her tone light and teasing, offering him a sly smile. "I'm Mattie."

"Hey, Mattie. I'm Tim. And I'm going to buy you a drink."

"Or…." Mattie turned her feet so that she was facing him while walking backwards. "You could come with me to the beach where my friends left a whole cooler of beer before ditching me."

Tim's eyes widened. "So, we'd be alone?" Mattie nodded; he grinned. "Count me in."

Mattie giggled and grabbed his hand, turning back around so she could lead him through the crowd. They weaved their way down the boardwalk and Mattie was relieved when they reached the beach. The bonfire was still going and there was no one around save for some couples making out, but there was enough distance between them and the bonfire.

"How long have you been in Santa Carla?" Mattie asked as she tugged Tim down onto the sand near the fire.

Tim laughed. "Why do you think I'm a tourist?"

Mattie fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I would've seen you before." She purred, sending him a coy smile instead of the eye roll she wanted to. "You're _exactly_ my type."

Tim chuckled and pulled her roughly into his arms. He started to kiss her neck and Mattie forced out the mewls that she knew he wanted to here.

"Oh, baby." He murmured, his head rolling back as her lips found his neck. "Why couldn't I have met you at the _beginning_ of my vacation?"

Mattie morphed her face, though kept it buried in his neck. "Becoming a vampire, I would imagine."

"Wha-?!"

The word died on his lips and was replaced by a groan as her fangs sunk into the flesh of his neck. As she drank him dry, Mattie allowed herself to play through his memories which were flashing through his head. David had taught her the trick only a couple days beforehand and Mattie found it entertaining. As though she was watching a movie while eating a snack. Tim's memories were filled with typical rich, white boy memories; exploitation of his father's wealth and position while bullying anyone that he could. He was a class A jerk and, since she had been given the ability to play God, Mattie got comfort from the fact that she was probably doing the world a favor by ending his life. Tim soon went limp in her arms and she pulled her face away, pausing only to wipe the blood on his polo shirt.

"Here, let me help."

Tim's now dead body was lifted her lap by Dwayne and tossed into the center of the fire. Mattie smiled gratefully at him.

"Thank you."

Dwayne just nodded once before taking his seat. As the body cackled and popped over the fire, disintegrating into debris, Dwayne and Mattie sat silently and watched the flames.

"Hey Dwayne?" Mattie's voice broke through the silence. "Can I ask a question?"

Dwayne regarded her over the flames. "Yes, although I may not answer it."

Mattie nodded. "Fair enough." She took a deep, albeit unnecessary, breath. "How did you turn? I mean, like, when was it? Paul told me that David turned him in the late 70s, in Los Angeles and his first kill was some girl at a club. And I know Marko was a Boston socialite in the early 1900s who chose a servant he had taken a shining too. But you and David remain a mystery."

Dwayne was silent for several minutes and Mattie began to fidget out of concern that she had stepped over a boundary. She had figured that Dwayne would've been the safer choice between him and David, but perhaps she had been wrong.

"It was in San Francisco, in 1967." Mattie's head snapped up at the sound of Dwayne actually answering her question. His attention was focused on the flames and not her. "I had only been in the city for a year, playing guitar with a rock band, when I met David and Marko. I drank from the bottle after a couple weeks of hanging out with them. My first kill was Camille Leroy."

This last utterance was filled with raw pain, which caught Mattie off guard. Marko and Paul's first kills had been anonymous women, with whom neither had any affection for, but it was obvious that there had existed a connection between Dwayne and Camille.

"Who was she?"

"A sister of a friend." Dwayne murmured, his gaze distant. "I don't regret becoming a vampire, but I do regret my first kill." He snapped his gaze back to Mattie. "I don't know why I told you that."

Mattie sent him a gentle smile. "I won't tell anyone."

"I know."

Their solitude was interrupted by the whoops and hollers of Marko and Paul who descended upon them only moments later. Paul fell beside Mattie and pulled her into his arms.

"I missed you, babe."

Mattie smiled indulgently up at him and they kissed. "I missed you too."

"Yuck!" Marko teased. "Save it for when you're alone."

"Fuck off!" Paul growled, though without any true malice. He looked back at Mattie. "Marko said that you guys ran into your mom. You okay?"

Mattie nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright. I am ready for everyone to be turned though so I can stop sneaking around and lying to her. I _hate_ lying to my mom."

Paul kissed the top of her head. "I know you do, babe." Mattie snuggled deeper into his arms. "I know you do."

***END OF CHAPTER***

 ** _Author's Note: This was kind of a filler chapter with some fluff, but it does allow for some bonding time between Mattie and the guys. Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!_**


	9. Chapter 8

_**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/favorited/followed.**_

***START OF CHAPTER***

Sam and Mattie had never been particularly close, but it had been two weeks since she had been home and Sam was beginning to worry. He had been watching her interact with the gang of bikers (who weren't really that cool anyway, Sam had long ago decided) and watched how they were so predatory. There was just something wrong with the entire situation. Which is why he had called the Frog brothers over for their take on the situation.

Sam stared at Mattie's unslept in bed with a heavy heart. Edgar and Alan Frog stood behind him, their arms crossed.

"She hasn't come home in over two weeks."

"They're probably using her as their vampire sex slave." Edgar said unthinkingly. Alan elbowed his brother in the gut. Edgar tried to make up for the comment by putting a supposedly comforting hand on Sam's shoulder. "I'm sorry buddy."

But for Sam, that was the breaking point. He shook Edgar off and made a beeline for Michael's room. He shoved open the door and started yelling for Michael to wake up.

"What the hell do you want?" Michael growled, thoroughly pissed off.

"They took Mattie for their sex slave."

Michael's eyes shot open. "What?!"

"Mattie doesn't act like this. She'd come home if she could!"

Michael sat up, forcing himself to become more alert. "Where's mom?"

"She had to go to work. She doesn't know about this."

Michael stood. "She's probably at the cave."

"What's the cave?" Edgar asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicious interest.

"It's their hideout." Michael replied as he grabbed his sunglasses. "Come on."

The four teens made their way downstairs.

"We need a car." Sam pointed out.

"Grandpa's." Michael replied as they headed into the garage.

"He's going to be pissed."

"He'll understand."

They climbed into the car and Michael revved the engine.

"Grandpa, okay if we borrow the car?!" Sam called out as they sped past their grandfather who scowled.

"She might not be able to come with us willingly." Alan warned, focusing mostly on Sam as neither Frog brother entirely trusted Michael the half-vamp. "Sex slaves are usually kept under some sort of weird, vampire spell."

Edgar nodded in agreement. "It's likely that we'll have to sever the bond between her and the one that holds her leash."

"She's probably kept chained up naked in their lair."

"Can we just cut out all the talk about my sister being a vampire sex slave please?!" Sam exclaimed, squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

"All of you shut up!" Mike snapped. He was already having a hard time staying awake at the wheel and the arguing only made his concentration that much worse. Nor was he entirely thrilled with the idea of his twin and her role as a sex slave. Despite his lack of concentration, he managed to get them safely to Hudson's Bluff. "This is it."

Everyone piled out of the car.

Edgar paused to glare at Michael. "Just so you know, if you try to stop us or vamp-out in anyway, I'll stake you without thinking twice about it." He warned.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Chill out Edgar."

"Where's the entrance?" Alan asked.

Michael pointed down the side of the cliff where the entrance of the cave could just barely be made out.

"Down there."

The Frogs charged down the stairs with Michael, being supported by Sam, following behind at a slower pace.

"Sam, if something happens to me…if I don't have the strength to go on, promise me you won't let them hurt Star." Michael asked.

Sam swallowed, but nodded. "I promise."

"Mattie…she might not be their slave." Michael said as they continued to descend the old stairs. "They seemed to really like her and they didn't want to kill me. They just want me to be like them. Maybe that's what they wanted for Mattie too."

Sam didn't think so, but he kept the thought to himself. Mattie would have come home if she could have.

Edgar and Alan were standing in the lobby and looking around with amazement when Michael and Sam entered. Even Sam was a bit stunned for a moment.

"I'm going to find Star." Michael muttered as he pushed away from Sam. "She'll know what happened to Mattie."

"There's got to be a sleeping chamber around here someplace." Edgar said, pulling Sam's attention away from Michael.

The three younger boys began to head towards the back of the cave.

Michael approached the bed where Star and Laddie laid curled up. Michael gently shook Star awake.

"Star," He whispered, "You're coming with me."

Star slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, confused. "Michael?"

Michael looked around, saw a long cape draped across the end of the room, and grabbed it.

"You've got to put this on."

"Take Laddie first." Star ordered, finally understanding what was going on.

Michael glanced towards Laddie, hesitated for a moment, and then did as he was told.

***BREAK***

"Feel it?" Alan asked, his eyes wide with excitement. "Feel the draft?"

Edgar shined a flashlight in the direction that Alan was focused on.

"It's an opening alright. Let's try it. Somebody give me a boost." It took some effort but they all managed to get into the tunnel. The further they went, the heavier the air got. Flies began to buzz around them. Sam swatted at them in annoyance. "We're on the right trail." Edgar muttered with a slow nod. "Flies and the undead go together like ham and eggs."

Alan pulled a can of bug spray from his backpack and sprayed the air.

Sam coughed. "I hope Mike is having a better time than we are."

***BREAK***

With Laddie safely covered in the car, Michael returned to the cave for Star. He was becoming more exhausted by the moment and was glad when he saw that Star was waiting for him, already wrapped up.

"Where's Mattie?" Michael asked. "Where's my sister?"

Star let out a little sob. "I'm sorry, Michael, it's too late. They got her." Michael felt like he had been punched. His sister…his _twin_ sister…was gone. "Michael, I'm sorry." Star reached up to clutch at his shirt. "I tried to warn her…I tried to warn both of you."

Suddenly numb, Michael silently scooped her up and started back up for the car.

***BREAK***

Sam, Edgar, and Alan had reached the end of tunnel which opened into a large cavern. A biting cold wind hollowed through the cavern and flies, more of them than Sam had ever seen before, buzzed around angrily.

"Ugh," Sam groaned, covering his nose, "What's that smell?!"

"Vampires, my friend," Edgar replied knowledgably, "Vampires."

They ventured further into the cave. Sharp, jagged rock formations protruded up from the chamber floor; a network of webs and mossy vines hung down from the ceiling. The sound of dripping water echoed throughout one of the side chambers as they stepped into it. All three boys flashed their headlights around, but they couldn't see anything. And then they looked up.

All of their eyes widened in horror.

Hanging upside down from the ceiling like human bats were three of the four Lost Boys.

"I thought they'd be in coffins." Sam whispered.

"That's exactly what this place is." Edgar whispered back. "One great big coffin." He looked at his brother and then Sam. "Let's stake 'em. The little one first."

For Sam, the events of that afternoon and evening would forever be seared in his mind as series of visions that veered between extreme slow motion and super sped up.

When the stake hit Marko's chest, blood exploded and he let out a hair-raising scream, waking up the other two.

"You're dead!" David screamed as Sam, Edgar, and Alan made a run for it. "You're dead meat!"

The teenagers ran back down the tunnel and were almost out when David grabbed Sam's ankle.

"Ah!" Sam screamed. "He's got me! Help!"

Edgar and Alan grabbed his arms and struggled to pull him away from David.

"I'm going to fucking kill you." David snarled. "I'm going to rip your throat open and watch the blood drain onto the floor!"

With a sudden burst of strength, Edgar and Alan pulled Sam far enough to allow a beam of sunlight to hit David. Hissing in pain, David was forced to pull away. The three teenagers scrambled up the stairs and towards the car.

"Michael!" Sam shouted. "Start the car!" Seeing Michael passed out in the car, Sam ran a hand through his hair, panicking as he tried to figure out what to do. "I'll have to drive!"

Sam climbed into the driver's seat, but Edgar and Alan stayed put.

"We don't ride with vampires." Alan muttered, motioning towards the other occupants of the car.

"Fine, stay here!" Sam snapped.

The Frog brothers glanced back at the cave and then at each other before jumping into the car. Sam turned the ignition and the car fired up. Then Sam hesitated.

"Come on!" Edgar snapped, smacking the seat. "Burn rubber."

Annoyed at Sam's hesitation, Edgar stomped down on the gas pedal. The Chevy rocketed forward and nearly barreled over the cliff until Sam stomped down on the breaks. He glared at Edgar.

"Burn rubber does not mean warp speed."

Sam backed up and managed to find the road without further trouble.

"We blew it, Edgar!" Alan exclaimed. "We lost it!"

"Shut up!"

"We unraveled in the face of the enemy!" Alan continued.

"They pulled a mind-scramble on us, man. It wasn't our fault. They opened their eyes and talked!"

"Guys!" Sam snapped. "Shut up and think of a plan. They're going to come for us as soon as it gets dark. And we need to be ready. And where the fuck was Mattie?!

Back in the cave, in another side chamber, Mattie slept on an old bed, Paul's arms wrapped around her, unaware of the chaos that her family – both of them – had just been plunged into.

***END OF CHAPTER***

 _ **Author's Note: We're getting to the end of the movie and thus the end of the story. I'm debating writing a sequel to this as well as writing the origin stories of the guys, but it will depend on interest and my muse's ability to stay focused.**_


	10. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note: We're winding down to the end here, folks. The reason for the delay in updating was due to be attempting to stretch it out as much as possible, possibly two more chapters left. There may or may not be a prequel and a sequel to this story…I'm still debating turning it into a series. As always, thanks for those who read and/or reviewed!**_

 *****START OF CHAPTER*****

 _ **The House**_

The teenagers entered the house in a whirlwind; Michael had Star in his arms while Sam had Laddie; Edgar and Alan followed up the rear. They had just reached the stairs when Nanook came racing up, barking at them loudly.

"No, Nanook!" Sam snapped. "Quiet!"

"Your dog knows flesh-eaters when he smells 'em." Edgar growled as Nanook continued to bark.

"Take him outside, Sam." Michael ordered.

Handing Laddie over to a disgruntled Alan, Sam grabbed Nanook by the collar and led him outside. The others began to climb the stairs.

"Hey!" The group whirled around to find Grandpa standing near his taxidermy room. "Do you know the rule about filling the car up with gas when you take it without asking?"

Michael frowned, expecting instead to have been chewed out. "No."

His grandfather smiled slightly. "Well now you know."

Grandpa entered his red room, shutting the door behind him. After recovering from their disbelief, the group hurried upstairs to Michael's room.

The Frog Brothers watched warily from the hallway as Michael made Star and Laddie comfortable on his bed. Sam barreled up the stairs, glanced into Michael's bedroom, and then focused his attention on the Frog Brothers.

"Well...," Sam sighed. "We blew Plan A."

Alan nodded. "Time to activate Plan B."

Sam looked at him expectantly. "What's Plan B?"

Instead of answering, Edgar and Alan shared a look.

"We don't have one yet." Edgar admitted before looking down at his watch. "And we only have two and a half hours to come up with one."

Sam frowned. "What happens in two and a half hours?"

Edgar's voice was grave as he replied, "The sun goes down and they'll be comin' for us."

 *****BREAK*****

 _ **Sundown**_

Mattie looked at the mess that had been Marko, her eyes welling up with tears as her fingers brushed his jacket in fond remembrance. She had spent the first hour of her night cleaning it of the debris that had once been her brother in a daze. She felt a black hole in her essence; the link between them had been severed forever and it left a notable void.

"I don't understand why they would want to kill us." She said softly, breaking the heavy silence that pervaded the cave. When she looked up, it was David's eyes she met. "We didn't do anything to them."

David's response was to brush her shoulder with his hand as he passed by. Paul was pacing angrily nearby. He had been closest to Marko and it was he who was taking it the hardest. No matter what she did, Mattie couldn't calm him down. It was obvious to all of them that he was moments away from losing what little control he had.

"Michael." Dwayne was the one who answered, his voice low but filled with venom.

David nodded. "He had the chance to turn and he refused. He thinks we're evil." David's eyes found Mattie again. "He isn't going to change, Mattie."

Mattie turned away. She knew David was right, but there was a small part of her that just didn't want to admit defeat. "Maybe I should try talking to him…."

"No!" Paul snarled, whirling around. "I won't take the chance that they'll kill you too."

Mattie recoiled, even though Paul was feet away. "They're my brothers." She reminded him softly.

"You're a vampire." David reminded her. "As far as they're concerned, you're no different from Marko." Their eyes met once again. "We're your family now, Mattie."

Mattie felt her heart breaking. "I still think I could make a difference." She pressed.

"No." Paul stated firmly. "We will handle this."

"Paul, I get what you're saying, but Michael is my twin and – "

Without warning, Paul picked her up in an iron-tight grip.

"Paul!" Mattie exclaimed as they headed back into the main part of the cave. "What are you doing?!"

"Keeping you safe." He replied. Shortly after, they entered a room that Mattie had never seen before. Paul put her down on the bed, cupped her face, and examined her for a moment. "I love you." He murmured before giving her a deep kiss. And then he was out of the room and locking the door. "It'll open at midnight if we aren't back by then."

His words were muted by the thick door between them. Mattie rushed forward and began to bang on the metal door.

Her angry screams and howls followed the boys as they left the cave.

 *****BREAK*****

As the distinctive horn blast of the Emerson grandpa taking off for the Widow Johnson's faded, the teenagers began to prepare the house for the upcoming battle. Michael locked the doors and windows; Sam prepared bowls of garlic in the kitchen; the Frog brothers poured holy water into the upstairs bathroom bathtub before filling up their water guns with the same water.

As the night crept on, Michael, Star, and Laddie began to recover their strength.

"They'll be coming for Laddie and me, won't they?" Star asked fretfully as Michael entered the room.

"They'll be coming for all of us." Michael replied as he went to his closet and took out his hunting bow.

Michael's thoughts were racing a million miles a minute and memories of the past few weeks flashed through his head, but it was his twin's face that stayed foremost in his mind. He knew she was dead, but he swore that he could still feel her presence. They were twins and had always had a weird sort of connection; her death should've changed that, but he didn't. He could almost feel her screaming his name. Sensing his pain, Star placed a comforting hand on his thigh. Michael glanced up at her and saw the guilt in her eyes. Wanting to ease her discomfort, Michael pushed aside his own guilt and forced a comforting smile onto his face.

"Everything's going to be fine."

 *****BREAK*****

The room was the size of a one-stall department store bathroom and had all the charm to match. There were (obviously) no windows and only the one, heavy door as an entry or exit point. Décor was sparse; chipped steel blue paint and a handful of old rock posters were the only things lining the four walls. Aside from the large, wooden bed decked out in faded red velvet blankets, the only other furniture was a wooden chair and a bedside table; the table had at least a dozen, well-read books.

Mattie had spent the last ten minutes screaming Michael's name both out loud and in her own head; she could feel him hearing her and yet he wouldn't respond. It was clear that David and the others had been right – her blood… _no, human_ …family no longer wanted anything to do with her because she was a vampire. A growl ripped through Mattie's throat as she threw a copy of _the Phantom of the Opera_ against the wall.

She was trapped and she knew it. And for the first time in her life, Mattie felt hopeless.

 *****BREAK*****

The air was tense now that the sky was completely dark. The group had assembled for a final talk, knowing that the time they had before the vampires arrived was brief.

"I think I should warn you all," Edgar warned, "It's never pretty when a vampire buys it. No two bloodsuckers ever go out the same way. Some scream and yell. Some go quietly. Some explode. Some implode. But all will try to take you with them."

Michael and Sam exchanged a look, but before anyone could say anything Nanook began to bark outside.

"Nanook!" Sam exclaimed, horrified. "I left him tied up in the yard!"

Sam rushed outside even as the others tried to stop him. Sam raced across the lawn towards Nanook as Michael screamed for him to get back in the house. Nanook's barking became more insistent as unnatural sounds filled the night air. As soon as Nanook was free, he and Sam rushed into the house and slammed the door. Sam leaned against the front door, totally out of breath, as everyone calmed down, but the excitement was short lived.

Dwayne exploded from the fireplace and the fighting began.

 *****END OF CHAPTER*****

 _ **Author's Note: Hopefully, despite the delay, I still have people reading this. Thanks for reading!**_


	11. Chapter 10

_**Author's Note: I have been struggling with this chapter just a bit, which is part of the reason that it's taken me so long to get it done and posted. That and a lot of personal stuff has just kept me away from writing. So, I apologize for the delay, but here it is!**_

 *****START OF CHAPTER*****

By vampire standards, Paul was practically a baby and his control over his emotions was never that great, even when he was human, but, for the first time in his young vampire life, the rage that he was feeling had completely taken over. He was entirely focused on finding the ones responsible for the death of Marko.

And he was going to make them suffer.

The others had chosen to enter the house in their own dramatic fashion, but Paul continued to pace around the outside of the house, trying to pick his own entrance point. He saw an open window on the second floor and pushed off from the ground. He remained in the shadows, waiting to see if anyone was in the room. He was rewarded with the presence of Star. A slow smile spread over his face. She was as much to blame as anyone and he was more than happy to deprive her of her wasted half-vampire life. He exploded through the window and was rewarded with Star's high-pitched scream.

"I'm going to enjoy ripping your fucking throat out." Paul hissed gleefully.

Star ran from the room. Paul growled in frustration and went to follow her but paused at the doorway when he heard a set of voices. Another smile spread over his face. It was the Frog brothers and Star was sending them to on the hunt for him. Chuckling quietly to himself, Paul moved into the bathroom connecting the two bedrooms, closing the door behind him. It wasn't long before he could hear one of the brothers enter the room. He stood still for a second longer before slowly exiting the bathroom, careful to keep the door from creaking. Before him stood one of the Frog brothers, a water gun held tightly in his hand. Paul could feel the teen's frantic heartbeat with each step and it was making his mouth water. He was just at the kid's neck when the teen spun around.

He screamed. "Ahhhh!"

Annoyed at himself for blowing his own cover, Paul lunged at him and was promptly squirted in the face with the water gun. Paul howled in pain as the holy water streamed over him. Flailing his arms, Paul backtracked into the bathroom, but the Frog brother followed him and continued to squirt the holy water at him.

"Alan!" The Frog brother screamed. "Alan! I'm almost out of ammo!"

Blinded by the holy water and in pain, Paul didn't see the other Frog brother coming up behind him. And when he was tackled into the holy water-filled bathtub, he never had a chance to escape. Paul's last thought before his body completely disintegrated was about Mattie.

 *****BREAK*****

As everyone came down from the high of the fight, Grandpa left his truck, stepped over the debris, and headed into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator door, pulled a diet root beer from his special shelf, and took a long swallow.

"The one thing about livin' in Santa Carla I never could stomach..." He grumbled. "All the damn vampires."

"Where's Mattie?" Lucy asked as she realized that her daughter was missing. Both Sam and Michael refused to meet her eyes as tears gathered in theirs. "No…"

"She turned into one of them." Michael explained, his voice choking on the words as he said them. "We went to find her earlier, but it was too late. They must've gotten to her last night. I felt her calling for me, but I ignored it. I thought it was my imagination."

Star rushed to comfort him. "It's not your fault, Michael." She cooed. "It was David's."

"Mattie." Lucy sobbed, slumping against the wall.

Her father and Sam went over to comfort her.

"Let's get out of here." Grandpa said. "We'll come back tomorrow and clean up."

Silently and with heavy hearts, they all left the house. Michael turned back to glance towards Mattie's bedroom window once, tears finally escaping from his eyes. Star slipped her hand into his.

"Come on Michael." She urged quietly. "There's nothing left of her there."

 *****BREAK*****

Freed from her cage at midnight, Mattie rushed to the Emerson house. It was a complete disaster when Mattie entered through the large gaping hole in the front. It was also eerily silent. She passed by the remains of Dwayne and Max. She was torn between relief - there was no sign of any human bodies - and grief - Dwayne had been her friend and Max her maker. There was no sign of either Paul or David downstairs and Mattie had hope as she climbed the stairs that he wouldn't be upstairs either.

 _Perhaps_ , she thought to herself, _they were already back at the cave and her family - her human family - was on their way out of town._

There was only one door open upstairs and it led to Michael's room. She entered slowly, bracing herself for the worst, only to find that it was empty. Sighing in relief, she decided to cut through the bathroom to get to her brother's room. But as soon as she entered the bathroom, she saw Paul - or what remained of him - in the tub. She sunk to her knees in horror.

"Oh Paul." She sobbed softly.

Mattie reached out to grab his body, but the moment her fingers hit the water, they were burned. Mattie recoiled in pain with a hiss. For several minutes, she sat before the tub, looking forlornly at the floating pieces of her former lover as it completely disintegrated in the acid-like water. It was only when a large thud reverberated from downstairs that she moved. Casting one last look at Paul, she murmured a regret-filled good bye and started slowly for downstairs.

"Hello?" She called as she overlooked the destroyed downstairs from the landing.

 _Mattie._ David's voice rang in her head.

 _Where are you?_ He sounded weak - very weak - but nearby. A groan came from below. Eschewing the stairs, Mattie jumped straight down. It took her only a matter of seconds to locate David amongst the wreckage. He had a pair of deer antlers shoved in his chest, but they had apparently missed his heart. She knelt over him. "David."

He opened his eyes and focused on her face. "Is there anyone else?"

Mattie shook her head, fighting tears. "What happened?"

"They set up a trap for us." He explained in halted breaths. He grimaced in pain. "It worked."

"I need to pull these out of you." David nodded. Mattie grabbed the antlers and pulled. They popped free with a sickening sucking sound. David was almost translucent from the lack of blood. "You need to feed. Can you walk?"

"I don't know."

"Well get ready to try."

Mattie lifted him to his feet and, after several attempts, they left the house.

"They think we killed you." David said as they made their way down the road. There was no need to ask who 'they' was.

"Are they…?" David shook his head.

"I don't think so." Mattie nodded, feeling relief that at least her human family had survived. "With Max dead, Michael should be human again, same with Star and Laddie."

"But not me because I fed on a human."

"Yeah."

"They'll never accept me as a vampire. And I'll never forgive them for killing Paul, Marko, and Dwayne." David glanced at her and she offered him a weak smile. "Guess it's just me and you."

"Guess it is."

The headlights of a car illuminated the road behind them.

"Hope you aren't feeling picky about what you eat." Mattie muttered as she waved the car down.

The driver rolled down the passenger side window. It was a middle-aged man who had clearly spent most of his life eating.

"What happened?"

"Our motorcycle went off the road." Mattie lied, making sure her face and voice looked appropriately panic-stricken. "My boyfriend is hurt really bad. I didn't want to leave him."

"I'll take you to the hospital."

The man got out of his car to help put David in the backseat. As the man hovered above him to make sure that he was secure, David grabbed him and began to feed. Mattie pushed the man's legs into the car and closed the door on the man's screams. She climbed into the driver's seat and started to drive.

"Stop at Max's place first." David said from the back, his voice already noticeably stronger. "He keeps a bunch of cash there. We'll need it."

Mattie nodded and listened as he rattled off directions.

When they reached Max's house, David pulled the spare key from its hiding space and warned her about Thorn, Max's dog.

"Where are you going?" Mattie asked as David stumbled away.

"I need to feed more." He replied. "And I need to get rid of the body. I'll be back in ten minutes and then we're getting the hell out of here."

As David limped away, Mattie made her way into Max's house. She was indeed greeted by Thorn, but he was whimpering pitifully, and his tail was between his legs. Mattie knelt down and offered him her hand.

"You know, boy, don't you?" Thorn licked her hand and allowed her to pet him. "Well guess you're with us now." Mattie stood. "Don't suppose you know where the safe is?" Thorn's ears perked up and he trotted into another room. Mattie followed him into what looked like an office. There, behind the desk, was the safe. "Thorn, you are _not_ the average dog. Good boy."

She bypassed entering the combination by simply ripping off the door. There were stacks of money. Grabbing a box from the floor, she dumped the papers out, and threw the cash in. Once the safe was empty, Mattie, with Thorn following, hit the kitchen and grabbed Thorn's food. Taking one last look around the house, Mattie returned outside and put everything into the car.

"What's Thorn doing out here?" David asked as he came back up the driveway, two gas cans in hand. He was covered in blood and still looked awful, but he was clearly healing.

"He's coming with us. What's with the gas?"

"Gotta burn the house, just in case." David looked between Mattie and Thorn. "This isn't a road trip."

"He has no one to look after him. Besides, he could come in handy."

David regarded her for a moment before sighing. "Whatever. You're driving. We need to find an out of the way hotel where people don't ask questions before sun up."

Mattie nodded and watched as David disappeared into the house. He returned minutes later as flames just started to become visible through the windows. Silently, they got into the car.

"Where am I going?"

"Head for New York. I think I know someone who can help us."

As David rested in the backseat and Thorn sat in the front passenger seat, Mattie drove them out of Santa Carla.

 *****BREAK*****

 _ **One Year Later**_

Mattie emerged from their basement apartment with David right behind her. Thorn slept happily on the couch, exhausted from his guarding all day.

"Full moon." David commented.

"Yup." Mattie agreed with a nod.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and slipped his hand into her back pocket. Mattie sent him a smile. It had been a rough year, but they had found comfort in each other. The romantic element was still a new development and one that both were dancing around, but their connection was too deep to have remained platonic.

"There's a concert in Central Park."

"There are bound to be lots of people there."

"And plenty of secluded spots."

They shared a grin and headed out into the brightly lit streets of New York City.

 *****THE END*****

 _ **Author's Note: I do have a sequel in mind for this story as well as an accompanying story, but I'm unsure of whether or not I will actually post them. Thank you all so much for reading and extra special thanks to those who reviewed!**_


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